Why are Commissioners hiding behind Joe Pritchard, instead of discussing trash disposal in open meetings?
At last week’s Regular Session of the Lowndes County Commission, County Manager Joe Pritchard repeated part of what he said the previous morning at the Work Session. After the meeting he came up to me to ask whether he had clarified it more. I do appreciate him doing that, and he did clarify where the new cards are on sale, although he omitted any mention of where they had been discussed previously. And it’s true that the previous morning he did not say anything had been decided. Yet the method of paying for waste disposal has changed (for only six months, and not prorated), so somebody decided that, somewhere where the public was not invited.
That six month period conveniently ends just after the current current Commission will be replaced by a new Commission with two additional members and a new Chairman. Those of us who remember former Chairman Rod Casey’s Commission passing a waste collection plan just as he left the Commission may remain sceptical that the Commissioners haven’t already made up their minds to privatize trash collection and socialize the losses onto landowners, who will have to deal with increased illegal dumping.
Sceptical especially when the VDT has reported twice that the Commissioners have already made up their minds, and about the Commissioners discussing trash disposal at three different meetings at which they knew the public would not be present. Remember the VDT report of the Commission’s stealth 4 June meeting:
“Commissioners also plan to outsource waste management services to a private contractor in the next year.”
David Rodock also reported for the VDT back in April:
Commissioners and staff from Lowndes County buckled down Friday at Chairman Ashley Paulk’s guest home to address issues such as waste management….
By the end of the afternoon, Commissioners made decisions on a few key issues….
Solid waste management, which is currently handled with collection centers, has run at a deficit of over $300,000.
That sure sounds like they decided at their retreat at a location that was not disclosed until after they met that they were going to privatize solid waste collection.
Or did they already decide a year earlier, at their unannounced closed-door 23 May 2011 after-meeting?
That’s three meetings at which they discussed solid waste disposal when they knew the public would not be present. The public as in those of us who use the county’s solid waste disposal and we the taxpayers. Does that seem right to you?
Yet the dreaded budget overrun is rapidly declining, according to the Commission’s own numbers (see graph). They could get rid of the cost overrun by just raising the price of those cards by 50%, and still be less than the cost of curbside pickup.
Here’s the video:
Waste disposal again —Joe Pritchard
Regular Session, Lowndes County Commission (LCC),
Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 12 June 2012.
Video by John S. Quarterman for Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange (LAKE).
Here’s a transcription of what he said.
Beginning Friday June the 15th these permits will be available for purchase in this building on the first floor in the lobby area. The cost of the permit will be $50, and this amount will not be prorated. Cash, check, VISA, MasterCard, will be accepted. These permits are effective from July 1 to January the 7th 2013. The purpose of this time period obviously will be to give staff time to solicit proposals for consideration by the Commission to make a permanent decision regarding the collection of solid waste.
-jsq
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