Newspaper Page Text
PAGE 16, APRIL 13, 2009, THE ISLANDER
A case for
privatization
Much to the dismay of many of
their constituents, the Brims wick City
Commission recently increased their
residential garbage collection fee from
$16.50 a month to $18.50 a month
effective January 1, 2010.
Sure two dollars doesn't sound like a
big increase but consider this:
$18.50 a month totals $222 per year,
and while that may not sound so bad, it
kinda is, compared to Glynn County's
garbage collection fee of $125 per year.
How can the county do it for $97 per
year less?
Simple, the county privatized their
garbage collection years ago and still
has a contract with Southland Waste
Systems, a company that, from this
journalist's viewpoint, does a pretty
good job.
Talking to a city resident, who also
owns some commercial property down
town, last week, I got some insight into
why some city folks are unhappy about
their garbage fees.
In addition to the pending increase,
I was told that the city charges the
garbage fee for every piece of property
regardless... regardless of whether the
property has a building on it or is a
vacant lot.
Yup, even if you own a vacant lot
in the city that is not generating any
garbage, you are paying for garbage to
be picked up at that address.
The person I was talking to owns a
two-story building downtown.
The bottom floor is a commercial
business. The second floor is vacant
and unused.
But, the building has two water
meters, one for the downstairs and one
for the upstairs, so guess what? Two
garbage collection fees.
To make things even weirder, the
owner said the city has never deliv
ered them even one garbage can, so
the business on the first floor puts
their garbage in a nearby, city-owned
dumpster.
But yet, the building owner is going
to be paying $552 per year for non-exis
tent garbage collection as of Jan. 1.
Oh, how did I come up with the
$552 figure all of a sudden? The city's
commercial garbage collection rate is
going up to $23 per month. You can do
the math, but the answer is $552 per
annus.
The really sad part of this is, several
years ago, when they were renegotiat
ing their contract with Southland, the
garbage collection company told Glynn
County officials that if the city would
participate in the contract they could
pick everyone's garbage up for even
less money.
But... the city declined the offer.
Hmmmm? Don't elected officials
take some kind of oath to conduct the
public's business in the most efficient,
cost effective manner? □
Matthew J. Permar
Publisher
EDITORIAL
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