Automated trash voted down
Posted on:
Tuesday, June 23, 2009 - 7:27pm
The trash referendum went to the opponents of the switch to automated collection. The final vote was 1964 “yes” votes to 1716 “no” votes.
The “yes” contingent was voting to keep the trash collection as it is now. There needed to be a majority plus 10 percent of the registered voters (1,316) in order for the ordinance to pass.
Paul Argazzi who led the opposition to the switch said “I’m very happy….it was a fair vote.”
Mayor Adam Salina said there are still legal questions to be answered as to what happens next.
For more on the referendum see the June 25 edition of The Citizen.
Comments
The question read:“Shall
Submitted by Mark Caliandri (not verified) on Fri, 06/26/2009 - 11:53am.The question read:
“Shall Ordinance No. 5-99, adopted March 30, 1999, as codified in Sections 46-31 through 46-73 of the Berlin Municipal Code, concerning the collection of Solid Waste including Recycling be amended?” YES/NO
The Town voted to amend it (it was close but the majority did vote Yes).
However, this doesn't necessarily mean we can't use automatic trash collection does it?
Why don't we simply treat this situation like we do for large items: a special pickup that the individual is charged for? Can't we ask Trash Away if they would be open to that kind of an amendment or something similar?
I honestly doubt we're going to find anyone to bid purely for manual service and have it save us money (if we even find anyone to bid on it at all).
Get a clue Berlin. Like the
Submitted by Trash_Talker (not verified) on Wed, 06/24/2009 - 11:09pm.Get a clue Berlin. Like the trash, your inflated view of yourself should be left at the curb.
From what I read elsewhere,
Submitted by Anon. (not verified) on Wed, 06/24/2009 - 10:22pm.From what I read elsewhere, perhaps on this site, the ballot question and ballot had to be designed that way due to legislation/policy related to accepting & ratifying the petition that was submitted. That is, if I understand it correctly, I believe that the ballot had to be structured based around the question on the petition so that a "Yes" vote was in favor of the petition. Thus the confusion that lead us to this ridiculous conclusion.
Congrats Berlin... your small-town politics is the stuff that comedians dream of...
1964 yes votes + 1716 no
Submitted by Me14 (not verified) on Wed, 06/24/2009 - 5:51pm.1964 yes votes + 1716 no votes = 3680 votes
voting time published was 2 hours, 120 minutes. or 30.6 votes per minute.
I was there for 6 minutes and saw 4 people vote - so 240 more votes need to be spread out over 116 minutes I was not there added to the 30 above.
So the average approx voting was a steady stream of 32 votes per minute for a 2 hour run.
This is unbelievable...
Submitted by AnonymousOne (not verified) on Wed, 06/24/2009 - 3:56pm.how about a vote on replacing all elected officials in this town with leaders from our local student bodies (elementary included)...results would have to be better. Berlin must be one of the worst led towns in the state...hands down.
Dewey Defeats Truman
Submitted by Duff (not verified) on Wed, 06/24/2009 - 3:48pm.I just noticed that this article was posted by Olivia L. Lawrence at - 7:26pm on June 23, 2009. What time did the polls close?
Good Job Paul!
Submitted by Duff (not verified) on Wed, 06/24/2009 - 3:33pm.Lets hope the Town can find someone to collect our trash and also have the funds to do so. The town signed a contract with Trash Away and I am sure Trash Away will want to be paid for that contract.$800,000 down the drain plus the additional funds to a new trash company. Another successful attempt by Mr. Argazzi to keep our town in the dark ages. I wonder if Mr. Argazzi would mind us dropping our trash off at his house when our front yards have a summers worth of piled up garbage in them? I have a feeling that if the Democrats in town found a cure for cancer, Mr. Argazzi and his republican cronies would force a vote so the cure would not be shared with the world.
Is Mr. Argazzi going to
Submitted by newtotown (not verified) on Wed, 06/24/2009 - 3:18pm.Is Mr. Argazzi going to donate his legal services to clean up this mess?
Thank you!
Submitted by AnonymousK (not verified) on Wed, 06/24/2009 - 12:30pm.Thanks so much to the Berlin Citizen for keeping us updated so well on this topic! Another thanks to Paul Argazzi & his committee for their hard work & time spent advocating for us. I'm happy that so many people got out to vote on this issue - it paid off!
I, too, am in favor of the
Submitted by BerlinRes (not verified) on Wed, 06/24/2009 - 12:10pm.I, too, am in favor of the automated system. I have lived in other towns that have it, and it is truly an easy system to use. BTW, theses towns never had a referendum on the issue and, also, had residents pay for their own containers. I paid $90 for a container in Newington and I only lived there for a year! Going forward, my concern is that trying to unwind this Trash Away contract is going to cost the town a lot of $$$ that it doesn't have. I operate a small business and appreciate the importance of signed contracts. They're used to protect both parties in a transaction. They're there so that one party cannot back out of deal at the eleventh hour after another party has already shelled out hundreds of thousands of dollars in preparation of providing their services on the date stated in that contract. I'm not sure that people who voted "Yes" understand that getting out of this contract may cost the Town / taxpayers $1 million+. Trash Away has already purchased the containers at a cost of $400,000+ (BTW, I got mine delivered this morning) and issued bonds to cover the equipment purchases. Each truck costs around $225,000. As a small business owner, I believe Trash Away is entitled to be compensated for their incurred costs. However, as a Berlin resident, I would rather see the Town honor the automated trash contract and spend that $1M on schools and other town services.
By the way, who is going to
Submitted by RobNov77 on Wed, 06/24/2009 - 11:36am.By the way, who is going to pick up our trash after July 4? Not Trashaway.
I think Mr. Argazzi may be
Submitted by Anonymous2 (not verified) on Wed, 06/24/2009 - 11:59am.I think Mr. Argazzi may be picking it up.
Foolish
Submitted by Franklin (not verified) on Wed, 06/24/2009 - 10:12am.At best, the town will now end up paying for two trash services while using one (or at least that much in attorney fees). Anyone notice how many of the houses with large "YES" signs are also the ones with 10-20 bags/cans laid out each week for trash pickup? One benefit of the automated service that really wasn't highlighted was that average homeowners would now not have to foot the bill for people who obviously throw away more than standard household trash (maybe paying for trash collection at their businesses is too costly?).
I really think that the
Submitted by RobNov77 on Wed, 06/24/2009 - 9:33am.I really think that the choice to stay with the same service was ridiculous. Other towns that I have lived in had the automated trash pickup and it was fabulous. Overall it was cleaner and easier to manage one large robust container rather than three flimsy off the shelf containers. I have problems with raccoons and other neighborhood animals knocking over my cans and spreading the trash about, with the new cans the animals would not be able to get into the solid can provided by the "contracted company". Overall, had any of the YES voters done any investigation into the cost of trash collection, they would have discovered that the new service would have been cheaper for the town. Being one of the seemingly few citizens to actually investigate the differences in cost, convenience, and environmental impact of the switch, I am saddened by the outcome of this vote. Some of the people that I encountered at the polling station even though it was posted on small signs in random places didn't even know that voting YES meant that they would voting for keeping the old service. Five people in particular, until I showed them the sign, thought that a vote for YES meant they were moving forward with what has already been decided by the elected officials that govern our great town. I think the voting sheet which only had a bubble for YES and a bubble for NO with any explanation of what each was for is ridiculous. This vote was engineered to tally uneducated votes to the yes side. I am very unimpressed by the way this whole thing was handled.
I agree with the idea of the
Submitted by rural area of berlin (not verified) on Wed, 06/24/2009 - 10:26pm.I agree with the idea of the new trash service, however, I live in Kensington, specifically in the area where there is a lot of long driveways. My driveway in particular is very long, and is gravel. The present trash service, I can lift the trash cans into my car and easily drive it to the bottom. There is no way possible for me to life the new 95 gallon trash can into my car, and I doubt that it would even fit, when my driveway freezes into a mixture of snow and ice, there would be no possible way for me to drag that 95 gallon trash can down my driveway. If the town is willing to pay thousands for a new football field, they could at least pay more to keep our old service and keep me from slipping and falling during the winter.
How about...
Submitted by Franklin (not verified) on Mon, 06/29/2009 - 10:09am.You just order the smaller automated container and put that in your trunk. I'd rather not pay hundreds of thousands to Trash-Away to break a contract just because you weren't paying attention in February.
Trash vote
Submitted by Anonymous2 (not verified) on Wed, 06/24/2009 - 7:18pm.Uneducated ones let the town make decisions that affect everybody without their approval.
Think about the people that have long driveways and usually drive the trash down. Or the ones that sometimes have more trash that can fit in one can and would now have to hold the extra for a week. Or how about the jobs that go bye-bye. Or people that pick things out of the trash and use them which keeps it out of the landfills. I could continue but I guess I’m one of those "Uneducated" ones, or maybe I’m just not corrupt.
PS- You can buy trash cans that keep animals out without going to this new service.
Why did God give you legs and
Submitted by Robert (not verified) on Sat, 06/27/2009 - 8:59pm.Why did God give you legs and feet, if not to walk then what?
I knew what voting yes meant
Submitted by FED UP WITH BACK DOOR POLItics (not verified) on Wed, 06/24/2009 - 6:16pm.I knew what voting yes meant even though I smiled and spoke to someone trying to influence my vote I voted YES Amen to those who voted yes and remember Trash way submitted 2 let me say that again two bids 1 for manual and 1 for automated if they no longer want to manually pick up send out to bid again and remember to vote those who approved this OUT OUT of office they forgot they represent the people OK they represented us poorly GOODBYE
I have absolutely no idea
Submitted by Citzen (not verified) on Fri, 06/26/2009 - 8:21pm.I have absolutely no idea what this run-on sentence meant. No periods, commas, or point.
I really think that the
Submitted by Robert (not verified) on Wed, 06/24/2009 - 9:05am.I really think that the choice to stay with the same service was ridiculous. Other towns that I have lived in had the automated trash pickup and it was fabulous. Overall it was cleaner and easier to manage one large robust container rather than three flimsy off the shelf containers. I have problems with raccoons and other neighborhood animals knocking over my cans and spreading the trash about, with the new cans the animals would not be able to get into the solid can provided by the "contracted company". Overall, had any of the YES voters done any investigation into the cost of trash collection, they would have discovered that the new service would have been cheaper for the town. Being one of the seemingly few citizens to actually investigate the differences in cost, convenience, and environmental impact of the switch, I am saddened by the outcome of this vote. Some of the people that I encountered at the polling station even though it was posted on small signs in random places didn't even know that voting YES meant that they would voting for keeping the old service. Five people in particular, until I showed them the sign, thought that a vote for YES meant they were moving forward with what has already been decided by the elected officials that govern our great town. I think the voting sheet which only had a bubble for YES and a bubble for NO with any explanation of what each was for is ridiculous. This vote was engineered to tally uneducated votes to the yes side. I am very unimpressed by the way this whole thing was handled.
Ridiculous
Submitted by Anonymous1 (not verified) on Wed, 06/24/2009 - 7:56am.This is absolutely ridiculous. How much money is this going to end up costing the town? First this referendum and now we are probably going to get sued by Trash Away. It's all because the senior citizens of this town don't want anything to change. They were out in droves at the polls yesterday. I'm not sure of all the details that led to the initial decision to change collection service but I sure wish Paul Argazzi & Co. spoke up before we signed the deal. I'll look forward to my taxes going up again. Idiots!!
Trash Drop off
Submitted by Anonymous2 (not verified) on Wed, 06/24/2009 - 7:34am.I'm very happy too - to start dropping my garbage off at Mr. Argazzi's house if we can't find trash service.
If property taxes increase as a result of this outcome those of us who voted "no" should not see our taxes go up. Perhaps Mr. Argazzi will help foot the bill.