Residents push back against citywide garbage disposal plan
Public encouraged to attend Dec. 10 meeting
By JESSICA LUTGENS
Staff Writer
There has been a growing sense of concern, confusion and frustration among the people of New Richland in recent weeks, sparked by the city council’s approval of a contract for citywide garbage and recycling collection at a Sept. 24 meeting.
The idea of organized, citywide trash collection for New Richland is not new—the topic has been kicked around by the council for years. In 2015, a public meeting was held on the subject, and the council chambers were filled nearly to capacity with concerned citizens who voiced their objections to the proposed plan. Their message was clear: New Richland residents not only disapproved of the plan, but firmly believed it went against the best interests of the people.
After that meeting, the council dropped the subject, and it wasn’t seriously discussed again for a long time. The following year, a free recycling service for city residents was implemented, consisting of two (later increased to three) dumpsters at city hall to be collected by Waste Management. Video surveillance equipment was purchased and installed at the site as well, and the city was responsible for the cost of the service.
In January of this year, discussions started again in city council meetings regarding citywide trash collection. Not mentioned during these talks were the concerns expressed at the previous public meeting on the topic. The beginnings of a plan started in July, and by August a contract was finalized and ready for a council decision.
The contract is a six-year agreement with the city, Waste Management of Minnesota, Inc., and Thompson Sanitation, Inc., and was developed around a list of priorities provided by the city clerk, Wayne Billing.
In a letter to Waste Management and Thompson Sanitation, the city’s priorities are listed as:
1. All residential dwellings (single and possibly duplex) have trash and curbside recycle pickup.
2. Reduction in number of truck trips on city streets.
3. City trash pickup at city hall, wastewater plant, Legion Field and St. Olaf Lake parks in the summer; dumpsters for spring cleanup if possible.
4. City celebration trash collection during Farm & City Days.
5. Overall, cost savings to city residents desirable.
6. Church collection if practical.
In mid-August, a public hearing was set for Tuesday, Sept. 11, during which residents could give their input on the plan. However, the announcement sent by the city to be published contained the wrong information; the announcement stated that the meeting would be held Monday, Sept. 11. This led to confusion and a low turnout at the meeting.
At the following council meeting, Resolution 18-08 was approved by the council authorizing the contract. Shortly after the resolution was published, feedback from worried New Richland residents started coming in.
“Everything we objected to at the prior meeting is in this ordinance,” said Joyce Wobbrock, ambulance member and one of the people in attendance during the 2015 meeting.
The contract calls for residences that have no current refuse and recycling service to be divided amongst two hauling services, with the service cost to be added to the current monthly water/sewer bills mailed by the city to each residence. The contract states, “All residential homes within the New Richland city limits shall receive one 64-gal. cart from their designated hauler[…] All residential refuse shall be serviced on a weekly basis on Mondays.” In regards to recycling, the contract states, “All residential homes within the New Richland city limits shall receive one 64-gal. recycling cart[…]Waste Management shall service all residential recycling on an every other week basis.”
Many residents do not require weekly trash pickup, and they do not understand why they should have to pay roughly $24/month for something they did not sign up for.
“There is no provision to opt out due to the economics of a plan to save residents as a whole,” said Billing. “If you consider the entire amount spent on residential garbage in the city, the total will be even less considering that some currently pay very little or nothing. If opting out is allowed, there comes a point when the plan doesn’t work.”
The inability to opt out of the service is a major concern to residents, particularly those with fixed incomes. Other points of issue with residents about the plan include the free service to city-owned property, and the claim that the plan will reduce heavy truck traffic on city streets.
“I’ve had too many people complain to me about this,” said Wobbrock. “The city badly mishandled the information, and their actions are going to cost us money.”
There are two remaining council meetings this year: Nov. 26 and Dec. 10. The ordinance finalizing the plan will be voted on by the council during the December meeting, along with the 2019 general budget for the city. The full budget can be viewed at the city website (www.cityofnewrichlandmn.com) by clicking the “Budget” link under the “Budget/Financial” tab on the left hand side of the page. The aforementioned resolution can be read in full at the city website by clicking the “City Garbage and Recycling Program” link under the “Resident Information” tab on the top of the page.
City council meetings are held on the second and fourth Mondays of the month at 6:30 p.m. and are open to the public. Any residents of New Richland who feel they did not get a fair chance to voice their thoughts on the plan due are encouraged to attend before the ordinance is passed on Dec. 10.