Council To Examine Your Trash (long)

>Warning: Long post.

Anyone who was awake until the end of the most recent Mayor and Council meeting – or who reads the Gazette – knows that the City is set to reopen the “trash issue.” It probably ought not to come as a surprise, as trash was such a campaign issue that, for those in the region who do not live in Our Fair City, it became the one thing our city election was known for.

The issue has had the added benefit of generating low-hanging-fruit headlines that use the term “trash talk” (note to headline writers: retire that).

The last term saw the City institute a pilot program whereby trash was collected using automated trucks on a once-weekly basis. Most everyone who was a part of the pilot (Hungerford and Monument areas of town) liked it, though there is some dispute as to the validity of the surveys (some say the questions were leading). But, as the City was preparing to really make the shift from twice- to once-weekly pickups, a number of citizens came to the fore who were vocally opposed.

People in favor of once-a-week pickup say that frequency is more than adequate, that it will save money, and reduce pollution. Those opposed say that it is not at all clear how much, if any, money will be saved, that once-weekly pickup is not adequate and there will be garbage festering and overflowing, and that on holiday weeks people will have to wait two weeks for their pickup. (There may be other arguments, but those are the chief ones that have been raised. In the interest of transparency, my personal opinion is that once-per-week is sufficient for all, but I do not hold that opinion strongly.)

As many know, the previous Mayor and Council (taken as a group) did not exactly function well together. The trash issue became a flashpoint and exposed deep rifts and resentments among the members.

Eventually, near the end of the last term, the members were able to agree to 1) maintain twice-weekly pickup; and 2) create a commission (which has applicants but no appointed members) to study the issue.

A majority of the incoming Mayor and Council, though, is in favor of once-weekly pickup, and late at the December 10 meeting, it was requested that the issue be placed on the agenda for the next Council meeting, December 17.

So, for City-watchers, the next Mayor and Council meeting will be one to watch, as a partially new cast of characters take up this contentious issue and we will see if they are able to address it with the civility with which they ran their campaigns.

This issue prompted two candidates who did not make it in the last election, Rich Gottfried and Mark Pierzchala, to voice their own opinions to one another, an exchange they kindly shared with me. They each crystallize an important public voice so, with their permission, we are sharing the key elements of this exchange with you.

Rich Gottfried led it off:

Just when you thought it was safe to take your garbage out to your curb twice a week, the councilman who did not want to talk about the City’s refuse and recycle program during his campaign requested an update to the Council’s previous decision regarding trash service be brought back on December 17′s Mayor and Council Agenda. . . .

I guess the citizens of the City of Rockville were hoping and praying that this M&C would not be another two year discussion on the refuse and recycle program… that this Council would move ahead and discuss the numerous other more important issues facing the citizens of Rockville like the . . . many, many more TAXES and FEES!

What the new Mayor and Council should focus on and request the City Manager to do is: 1) re-prioritize the FY2009 Budget, amounting to approximately $106 million dollars, so the citizens of Rockville’s tax dollars are spent on improving, maintaining and purchasing the infrastructure needed in the water, sewer and storm water management fund areas, and 2) to streamline personnel and operating expenses which amount to in FY08 $50 million dollars. An approximately ten percent reduction in these areas could cover the needed expenditure for improving, maintaining and purchasing the infrastructure needed and no TAX and FEE would be needed! It is all a matter of choice and priorities.

But here they go again talking about $2 per month per year (which amounts to $24 per year) increase from citizens when Hundreds, Thousands, and Millions of other dollars are being requested from citizens pocketbooks.

And Mark Pierzchala weighed in:

I was at the meeting on Monday all the way to the bitter end. The trash issue was brought up at the very last minute during the agenda review. I and others were surprised it came up that way. I see in tonight’s Gazette that Piotr thinks trash decisions will be reversed on December 17.

Trash in Rockville is a symbolic issue that stands in for more than refuse and recycling alone. In the last Mayor and Council it also was symbolic of discord among the elected. To me it also symbolized insufficient analysis; mayor and Council weren’t even asking the right questions at times. While I agreed with Dorsey, Marcuccio, and Robbins that the refuse hearing was necessary, I believe that it was faulty in that the once-a-week option was taken off the table before the hearing. I don’t think we should be surprised that the issue has come back. I was expecting it to come back early next year.

While I agree with you that many of the taxes and fees you mention deserve much attention, and I’ll be part of that, the trash fee increase over the years will be larger than your email stated. Even if the increase is not large, it is still more than it should be because of the twice-a-week decision and going in the wrong direction.

Thank you to these Rockville citizens for speaking up, for sharing their views, and for remaining so agreeable.

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