Last April the solid waste system here grew far more intrusive for residents (a permit requirement) and far more costly:
A total of 12 gate attendants had been hired at $9/hour and 30 hours/week. This added an annual cost of around $186,000 to the budget based upon salary and employer costs. These attendants monitor those coming in for permits and operate the compactors as needed. Thanks to Amendment 2, the taxpayers will be soaked for an added $1/hour each year until the magic number of $15/hour is reached.
Based upon county budget data, the employee cost for the Solid Waste department has gone up 32% in the past two years.
Based upon this data, I wrote a plan to lessen the cost in July. I was able to present it to the Board of County Commissioners, who disregarded it in favor of the status quo.
In September I did some research into obtaining automated gate openers that could be activated by a barcode permit, and again submitted it. The estimated one-time cost was around $90,000. The benefits were numerous:
• 24/7 access (an issue in some areas)
• Continued lockouts of out-of-county residents
• Video monitoring for violations would still be retained
• No annual recurring costs other than minor maintenance
• Some part-time employees were designated to rotate among the sites and operate the compactors (something that has always been done, so it’s not an added cost)
Only one commissioner expressed any interest. I was told wait until the new solid waste director came on board.
I waited.
At the January 20 commission meeting, I learned the automated gate plan was not possible this budget year. When I asked about next year, the reply was no promise could be made.
One thing I pointed out in my presentation was the concern over entrenched programs and how difficult they are to get rid of. That’s the path we are on for solid waste. We are wasting around $100,000 this year and that number will about double next year and in subsequent years.
What will it take for our commissioners to act in our best fiscal interest here?
Paul Henry