ENGLISTOW – As a result of a vote by Mayor Thomas Reynolds, municipal officials have set up a solid waste disposal facility to collect and dispose of rubbish in Angletown.
At a meeting of the district council on February 23, 4-3 votes passed a resolution on the establishment of an enterprise for the removal of solid waste and the establishment of the procedure for charging and collecting fees for services. The Municipal Solid Waste Company is the first in Englandtown.
Council Chairman Gregory Wojciech and council members Eric Mann and Cecilia Rabilotti voted in favor of the proposal.
Board members Daniel Francisco, Dan Marter and William Lewis voted “no” for the decision, leading to a 3-3 draw among the six board members.
Reynolds, who can only vote to upset the balance, voted in favor of setting up a municipal solid waste service.
According to the decree, public utilities will collect and dispose of solid waste in accordance with the law.
District Attorney Joseph Yusuf explained that the municipal solid waste service is separate from the municipal government and will allow the district to pay for garbage collection services from funds raised outside the municipal budget.
The costs associated with the collection and disposal of solid waste by utilities are reimbursed in the contract concluded in the district for the provision of such services. Landlords who receive the service will be charged a single fee.
The decree establishes a fee for services for the removal of solid waste, which is charged annually from property owners who receive services for the removal and removal of solid waste. The funds raised will be transferred to the Angltown Municipal Solid Waste Fund.
The fee for the maintenance of solid waste for residential facilities serviced by public utilities will be calculated by dividing the approved annual budget of municipal solid waste by the number of residential premises receiving solid waste collection and disposal services.
The annual solid waste maintenance fee will be paid in two equal installments on January 1 and July 1. The utility collector will bill the owner of each property that receives the service, depending on the number of living spaces.
Homeowners aged 65 and over who are eligible for a New Jersey senior tax credit can apply for an annual loan of $ 25 for an annual solid waste utility bill, according to the ordinance.
According to municipal data provided by district officials, there are 817 housing units in Englandtown (441 single-family units; 204 townhouse units; 152 apartments / condominiums; and 20 residential units above businesses).
The question of waste Reynolds initially stated about the disposal during a meeting of the governing body on December 20. The mayor said the Anglotown municipal budget will not be able to afford a waste disposal contract in 2022 due to rising costs.
The preliminary contract was for a five-year period and was due to expire in late 2021, according to district officials. The contract allows you to collect and dispose of solid waste twice a week.
Reynolds said Suburban Disposal operators have given Ingletown a three-month extension of its current waste disposal contract, which expires on April 1. municipal solid waste service.
Other options would be to hold a referendum to increase the municipal budget by $ 100,000 for solid waste disposal services or to allow residents to hire their own contractors to collect and dispose of garbage.
According to district officials, the collection and disposal of secondary raw materials should be provided by the municipality.
During a meeting on Feb. 23, municipal officials said the garbage collection contract is $ 62,000 in 2021 and will increase to $ 180,000 in 2022 if services continue to be provided twice a week. If the services are provided twice a week in the summer and once a week in the winter, the contract will be $ 150,000. The contract will be $ 109,000 if the service will be provided once a week throughout the year.
With the founding of the Municipal Solid Waste Service, Reynolds estimated that the annual fee for residents would be $ 264 if garbage is collected twice a week.
Francis, who supported the transition to private garbage collection for residents, spoke out against the amount of rates provided by contractors. He said the rates were based on the fact that in Angletown there are more than 800 housing units, but noted that not all housing units are individual.
“It is much cheaper to pick up one landfill in an apartment building than to go to 150 separate houses,” he said. “It’s not a fair market value of what it’s really worth.”
Francisco also said several contractors were unable to apply for solid waste disposal services in a timely manner, while the Suburban Disposal is now ready to continue providing the service.
“(Suburban) knows that no one can respond to this request except them,” the adviser said. “The price Suburban has given us is significantly inflated.”
Reynolds has suggested officials hold new applications for garbage collection services while the municipal solid waste disposal service is operating. He opposed the private collection and disposal of solid waste, noting the potential negative impact of more garbage trucks entering and leaving the area as residents contract with several companies.
“Do you (residents) want six or seven different sewers to come every five days a week?” The mayor asked. “Now we have extra truck traffic.”
Mann doubted what would happen if residents did not pay for garbage collection.
Although Reynolds said the municipal waste ordinance could be overturned in 2023, many residents objected to the additional costs and criticized the governing body that handled the situation.
Yusuf said that if the decision to set up a solid waste disposal plant is not taken, Angletown will face a legitimate healthcare crisis without an active garbage collection contract on April 1st.
When the vote of the utility council led to an equal, Reynolds reiterated that by voting in favor, officials could still look for other options to continue collecting and disposing of solid waste.
“Right now we need to do utilities,” Reynolds said. “At the next meeting we will have other options.”
