So after a long and hard thought I decided that I would not attend last nights BOC meeting in fears of getting more upset than I already was. I did however contact my BOC member along with the chairman to indicate my displeasure with this entire plan.

Here are my thoughts on the morning after Gwinnett Counties version of the health-care bill being forced on Americans.

1) How is this still not illegal as one of the reasons the plan was thrown out in 1990 was due to the fact that a government may not collect a debt for a private company? The ordinance does not address this action nor does it create a Sanitation Authority or something of the like, this will be one loophole we the citizens may still have to fight this plan.

2) How can the county not bid out these services, would this not go against antitrust rules in the country?

Last week I sent out a rough P&L but here is n update version of what I envision this plan will cost to run on a yearly basis.

Great quote from last night

“The county did not settle the $80 million lawsuit; it financed it over the length of the contract,” said Anthony Grutadaurio, operating manager for Red Oak Sanitation, a small hauler with fewer than 5,000 Gwinnett customers. “Again, the residents are paying for your mistake.”

I do not see how the county can legally do this as I think they are required to bid this out. I am looking for a minority trash hauler to let them know they were not given the opportunity to service Gwinnett.

I would encourage everyone who can attend the meeting next Tuesday night to do so and let the BOC know how you feel on their closed door deals that now involve more than lad deals.

Please look back at the lead article of the AJC the day the BOC announce the new trash plan, it was the illegal dumping problem that the city of Atlanta has and they have mandatory trash service. Oh, what was the BOC’s main reason why they know we need this, illegal dumping!

Let’s see we have no ost federal and state funding since the leaders or should I say children can not agree on shared services involving cities and the county.

I would like to point out that the $1.25 service feeill bring the county in 1.875 million in revenue. Now billing this on the tax bill should cost nothing for the mailing since they already need to send the tax bill out. What in the heck is the county going to use the rest of the money for?? Here is how I see it:

$100,000.00 per year for the Trash Zar
$400,000.00 for ten trash enforcement staff members
$300,000.00 for ten customer service reps to answer our complaint calls
$100,000.00 per year for office lease and utilities
$100,000.000 per year for vehicles to patrol
$225,000.00 for benefits

Total $1.225 million per year to operate this plan for us. What happens to the $600,000.00 left over????

Don

Higher taxes or no higher taxes doesn’t matter. This is just a blinding flash of the obvious. How difficult to figure out that this is not what is needed? Duh….

Despite an outcry from residents, consultants recommend county officials make trash pick-up mandatory for residents of the unincorporated area.

The study, which commenced after a judge threw out a solid waste management plan last year, also produced a recommendation that the county be divided into districts and the number of trash haulers be limited.

But Abby Goldsmith of R.W. Beck told commissioners Tuesday that they could choose more than one hauler per district, addressing the concerns of people who wanted the freedom to choose their garbage hauler while cutting down garbage trucks on the road and carts in the streets.

So what is the end message here? When you only talk to hand full of people you don’t really care what they think. Is the message delivered to the County a message that is tailored to the people paying the bills? How can the County not have any opinion at this point? After the Blue Ribbon Committee, after the consultants, after all the noise from the citizens then what are they listening to and hearing? Come on BOC you were elected to make decisions and lately you are awful at that. Please try to get something correct here and do what is best for the citizens of Gwinnett.

wanted it to remain the same. I still have a problem with the county placing this on a water or tax bill if it is a independent company performing the services, law states a government may not collect a debt for a private company, the only way this can appear on a county bill is if they create an authority or trash department.

I encourage everyone to visit www.whatawastegwinnett.com and get involved. These folks have a petition going as well.

We are still posting info at GwinnettViews on happenings in Gwinnett County, please join us there.

I encourage all to write to their respective BOC member and let them know what you desire..

Thanks,
Don

Gwinnett County officials received their first look a the Trash study done by RW Beck today.

The study results showed there was enough support to recommend required garbage collection at all residences. It did allow for exemptions, however, such as business owners with their own Dumpsters.

But there was a wide range of differences about other issues, such as establishing exclusive franchise districts and billing on property tax statements. Much of the polling data differed between those who attended the public forums and those who were randomly selected by computer.

More to come once the full study is released.

A property tax increase is back on the table for county residents, as a commissioner said service cuts to balance the budget have been too severe.

During Tuesday’s board meeting, Commissioner Kevin Kenerly called for county staff to devise a plan that would cost taxpayers an average of $14 more a month – or about two additional mills.

So Gwinnett here we go again. Commissioner Kenerly wants all of us to step up and sacrifice in the name of safety?  Where is the money going to go? What will it be spent on? Safety in law enforcement where its needed or more library hours? Give us the details so the citizens can understand and have the knowledge that’s needed to know what’s going on.

“Bold action is needed to keep Gwinnett County a preferred place to live, work and raise a family. I would ask the Gwinnett families to sacrifice with me.”

Now is the time AGAIN to make sure your voices are heard. Demand to know the details of Mr. Kenerly’s proposal.

Gwinnett County Board of Commissioner’s Contact Info

The firm hired to draw up a study for Gwinnett County’s solid waste plan told officials Tuesday the report should be completed by mid-October.

So we have to wait until October to see what the consultants are going to recommend. I find it interesting it that it takes that long to compile feed back from 600+ people when the majority of those said they wanted their own choice. So who was one of the 328 that were contact by phone? Would love to hear from you.

At a special briefing held at the courthouse in Lawrenceville, Abby Goldsmith of the consulting firm R.W. Beck reported it had collected opinions from about 650 people. Of that number, 330 had registered opinions at one of the eight public forums held this summer. Another 328 had been contacted by phone or e-mail.

OPEN LETTER TO GWINNETT TAXPAYERS                      MAY 22, 2009

As mayor of Suwanee, I can attest firsthand that local governments are profoundly affected by these challenging economic times. I can also promise that the Suwanee City Council is doing everything in its power to hold the line on taxes.

People are hurting. Many have lost jobs or taken pay cuts. Businesses are facing unprecedented challenges. Nonprofits are trying to survive. Everyone seems to be doing whatever they can keep costs down. Well, not everyone.

Earlier this week, our Gwinnett County Commissioners announced their plan to raise your property taxes by more than 25 percent – 30 percent if you live in a city – so they can expand their 2009 budget by about 10 percent over their 2008 budget. We don’t have the exact figures because they still won’t publish the budget they adopted March 3.
You see, even though we’re nearly halfway into the fiscal year, without their budget document, the public is being kept in the dark. Our commissioners are ballooning county government in the worst economy anyone can remember.

Forty-three million of this enormous $87 million property tax increase isn’t even planned to be spent in 2009 – they’re socking it away in something called “working capital reserve.” Our commissioners have decided it’s better to overtax you and hoard those dollars than for you to pay your mortgage, health care or for your kids’ education.
Under the guise of public safety, our commissioners have hatched a curious plan to hire 170 more officers to start patrolling inside cities that are already policed effectively by the cities. This wasteful and dangerous duplication will require another $17 to 20 million of your money in new taxes – can’t know for certain without the budget. Sheriff Butch Conway calls their scheme a “terrible mistake.”

Growing the size of government in these economic times is exactly the wrong thing for any elected body. It’s quite obvious that our commissioners are oblivious to the reality that the rest of us face. We’re cutting back, yet they’re expanding their county largesse and sending us the bill. And it’s going to be a whopper.
State law requires our commissioners hold three public hearings at the Gwinnett Justice and Administration Center before they set these new tax rates. Two are scheduled for Tuesday, the day after Memorial Day. The third is June 2, after which the county will vote on the new tax rate.

I plan to attend all of them, and hope you will, too.

Have we learned anything from the county’s recent “trash plan” episode? This time, will we make our voices heard to our elected commissioners before they take action on this outrageous tax hike?

If not, brace yourself for a doozie of a county tax bill.

Dave Williams, Mayor
City of Suwanee, GA