Just under two years ago, borough council discussed potentially contracting trash service with a single hauler for all of Lansdale Borough. Ultimately, for several reasons, council decided to not move forward with this proposal, and chose to keep things as they were in our community. This meant not addressing the significant damage large trucks do to our roads and the impact they have on our budget.
As a resident, I have never been very invested in my trash company. If the price is reasonable and the trash is picked up when appropriate, I am happy. Others in our community are more judicious with their selection, and value their ability to negotiate with their service provider. No matter your approach to trash, we are all very invested in our infrastructure. As noted in my previous article, in 2019 alone, we will be spending over $1.4 million on road repairs to help improve our community. This is a massive dedication of funds for our community.
Every dollar invested in our infrastructure requires careful protection because every year the cost of our road projects go up. What cost $700,000 this year will cost $750,000 next year due to the cost of literally everything going up. This means we need to make sure we get the full life out of every road repair every year to make sure we are not being forced to re-invest too soon. Study, after study, after study has found that heavy trucks are a key contributor to decreasing the life of any road.
Obviously, we need our trash picked up. Also, as responsible stewards of tax funds, we need to protect our investment in our community and infrastructure. Balancing the two has put the borough in a tough position. Residents are already investing in repair of our roads via their taxes, and yet they do the least damage to our roads. Trash companies do not pay any fees or taxes to operate in the borough, and do serious damage to the roads. However, we know that if we were to institute a fee of some kind, they would likely just pass it on to the consumers. Residents would then need to negotiate the best rate they can individually as the market would allow.
Admittedly, I am not sure what the answer is to this problem. I know that if we want to fix our roads without increasing taxes dramatically over the next five years, we will need to decrease truck traffic to maximize the life of our roads. Also, I know we can’t kick this can down the road for future generations to deal with. That approach is not only irresponsible, but also wildly unsustainable. I would encourage residents to be involved in this conversation, and be honest about their options as a consumer and a community member, because we need to solve this issue sooner rather than later.
See also:
Mayoral Musings: Spring Roadwork Announcement
Mayoral Musings: Electric Vehicle Charging Stations Incoming
Mayoral Musings: Post Office Follow Up
Mayoral Musings: Uniting Behind Manna
Mayoral Musings: Storytime With Miss Annie
