Lansdale Council has voted to recycle the single hauler trash study, according to The Reporter.
Council last week voted 7-2 to direct staff to prepare and advertise Request for Proposals for a trash consultant to study the options for a single trash hauler, in-house municipal trash collection, and electronics recycling, as a way to preserve the deteriorating and pot-holed roadways and alleys in the borough.
Council President Denton Burnell and Councilman Rich DiGregorio voted against the motion.
Spearheaded by council Public Works Committee Chairman BJ Breish, trash talk began in January at the committee level, and has resulted in some residents sounding off against the issue at public meetings.
On the contrary, Borough Manager John Ernst, according to the article, told council that out of 32 emails received to-date on the topic, 23 of them have been in favor of a single hauler. Five emails opposed the idea, and three were in favor of a municipal — borough-owned and managed — trash hauler, per the report.
DiGregorio, according to the article, believed the discussion should be put on hold to focus on other important borough issues, namely road repairs. Burnell, per the article, although in favor of a single hauler, reminded council of the large resident push-back on the topic when it was first broached in 2016 and 2017.
“The reality is, this borough is a lot more divided on this topic than you all want to admit. I actually think that, based on those numbers, that more people who live here would be perfectly happy to have a single hauler than not,” Burnell said in the article. “I’m actually in favor of a single hauler, I just don’t think right now is the time.”
Councilwoman Mary Fuller, according to the report, was in favor of collecting information and finding new answers.
“Where I’ll vote on this, doesn’t mean I’m for or against single hauler or municipal trash,” she said in the report, “it means that, for no cost, I am willing to see what it’ll take to gather some proper information.”
Fuller believed the RFP vote could “incorporate lessons learned during the last round of talks, particularly the problems with the bid package back then that led several bidders to be disqualified,” per the article.
The last time the borough discussed trash was back in 2015 with a detailed study on the matter. Talks initially happened 12 years ago, followed by a survey in 2012 and 2013.
At that time, the survey showed taxpayers and residents were split on personal choice and customer service versus taxes paying for the service. On one side were those who supported less truck traffic, reduction in pollution and preservation of alleys, and on the other side were those who wanted flexibility and choice to select their own provider.
J.P. Mascaro & Sons nearly had control of the entire borough, but a 7-2 vote against the bid award stopped that from happening. Mascaro was recommended only after a round of incomplete bids and a second round where there was only one responsible bidder, per reports. After that vote, Mascaro’s representative expressed his displeasure in the vote.
A majority of councilors at the time also criticized the bidding process.
A report from six years ago estimated a $2.6 million startup cost for a municipal-owned trash collection facility and fleet, per The Reporter, with an annual $1.2 million operating cost at a sacrifice of $20 per month per household.
A single hauler to cover the entire town was estimated in 2016 at $2 million per year, at about $23 per month per household, according to the report.
Read the 2016 Lansdale Borough single trash hauler study here.
Back in January, Breish told council during his public works committee report that there was enough interest in committee to explore the conversation again, according to The Reporter.
“We’d like to explore two main options here: one which would be municipal trash, bring it in house. And the other would be single hauler trash, which would be going with a single contractor to manage our trash in the borough,” he said in January.
Numerous residents told council last week that the trash talks were a bad idea, again. Some were interested in knowing how Lansdale was going to pay for the trucks, where the trucks would be stored, and where and how would Lansdale deposit collected trash.
Resident Kevin Dunigan, who chairs the borough’s planning commission, reminded the public and council that the alleys belong to residents, not the borough. Property owners’ property lines extend to the center of the alley.
“Thank you for your concern, but I think your concern to the street in front of my house would be much more appropriate. It’s going to save the streets, it’s going to save the environment, it’s going to save the children, we’ve heard it all,” he said in the article.
According to the report, Dunigan wants the borough to avoid the issues Souderton faced when it switched to a single hauler in 2016, including rising costs.
“Their streets are no better, their trash hauler is worse. There is no evidence that any of this (benefits) takes place, because if it would, then Souderton Borough would be the yellow brick road. All of the roads would be beautiful,” Dunigan said, according to The Reporter.
Resident Richard Lewis reminded council that residents were not interested in the issue four years ago and nothing has changed.
“We don’t need a consultant. We just need a little common sense,” Lewis said, adding the cost of trash trucks would run between $200,000 and $400,000 each, not to mention the cost of drivers and maintenance.
Resident John Darab wanted to know where the borough was going to drop the trash, and suggested the borough leave it up to the professionals.
“And you want to go to a consultant? Who is going to charge you, what, $200 an hour? Having been a consulting engineer, it’s lovely: we just spend money until the client says ‘Nope, you ain’t getting where we want you to go,'” he said in the article.
Resident Rose Chapman asked council if they are listening to their constituents.
“You were voted in to represent the residents. And you may listen. But I don’t think you hear: you do what you want, and waste our time and money. I think you’ve heard from enough people that they don’t want it,” Chapman said in the article.
Read more on the recent single trash hauler RFP vote here.
See also:
Talks of Single Hauler Trash for Lansdale Resurface During Borough Council Worksession
Towamencin Home Rule Charter Headed to Ballot in May Primary
Proposed Commercial Montgomery Township Development is Deja Vu for Residents
Upper Gwynedd Pursuing $1.15 Million Grant to Help Acquire Martin Tract
