Anytime you see “emergency ordinance” take a second look. Most of the time it means either: the commission is made up of idiots who didn’t see something coming, or they are trying to pull the wool over your eyes. In this case- both.
And, it’s our first Gary Leitzell no vote- with no real solution to the problem offered (of which I’ll provide- because I’m not an idiot). From the DDN:
City of Dayton trash customers will pay more for the service beginning with their April bills.
In a four-to-one vote, City Commissioners Dean Lovelace, Joey Williams, Nan Whaley and Matt Joseph pushed through an emergency ordinance raising annual waste collection fees from $91 to $113, beginning with April bills. The rate increase will generate $1.3 million annually for the city.
“Without that increase, we would have to make further budget cuts,” said City Manager Tim Riordan, adding staff proposed the increase in November as a way to balance the 2010 budget.
Mayor Gary Leitzell said he could not vote for an ordinance that both increased the cost to residents and decreased service. Dayton customers will still have trash pick-up once a week, but bulk waste pick-up goes from twice per month to once.
“I think we need to look at alternative ways of saving money,” Leitzell said.
The mayor suggested the city explore ways to reduce tipping fees paid to Montgomery County for dumping trash and recyclables.
In 2008, Dayton paid $38.25 per ton for trash disposal, or about $2.36 million for the year. Tipping fees for recyclables cost much less at $14 per ton or about $31,864 per year.
“Recycling cost less. The goal, in terms of a long-range budget solution, is to get more people to recycle,” Whaley said. “I know it’s hard for all of us to do these kinds of things, but it is part of governing.”
Whaley and Williams both said Leitzell’s suggestion should be researched, but said the reality of the mayor’s solution is that it would not generate enough money to prevent a budget shortfall.
About 27 percent of Dayton’s residents recycle, but only account for about 3 percent of the city’s waste stream. To generate the desired $1.3 million, recycling would have to make up 88 percent of the city’s waste steam.
Trash and Recycling Bins in Savannah are equal sizes
Dayton provides two different sized trash bins. And, the size of the bins is the first indication of which has more importance. Take a look at Savannah GA bins in the photo at right- see a difference?
We get what we ask for- little recycle bins- collected every other week- and you get less recycling.
Secondly- in Ontario Canada they give you the bins for free- but, won’t pick up unless it’s in a trash bag you pay for. You pay big bucks for the ones to hold trash- and the recycling bags are FREE! It’s pay as you go trash bills- and forces people to feel the pain of not recycling.
Solves part of Dayton’s problem. Of course now that we’ve finally stopped the insane practice of paying trashmen double time to work holidays- maybe we can also start looking to making them put in a full 8 hour day every day?
We’ve cut the number of public trash containers in parks- which leads to bigger messes and a less pretty city. We’ve cut back the number of hours we sweep streets (ineffectively- since we don’t move cars first) increasing our costs of cleaning out catch basins and road repair. Maybe if the trash collectors put in a full day keeping our city clean- citizens wouldn’t have to waste their time picking up trash on alley sweeps- and could spend time working on other things to make our city beautiful.
Just voting no doesn’t get it Mayor Leitzell. Let’s see some ideas.
