“Carbone [a Supreme Court decision of the early 1990s banning flow control] is the law of the land. Oneida-Herkimer [a state court decision within the last five years allowing flow control] is a narrow exception. There may be grounds…”
Instead, Changaris suggested a “three- or four-legged stool” partnership arrangement with the private haulers, (who, he pointed out in a separate interview, make a profit in the industry, while the county loses money at it), the county and the RRA. “We think you can take care of the debt and have good solid waste policies without flow control.”
Supporting the law was former Kingston alderman and current RRA board member Charlie Landi, who pointed out that “the deficits and debt were used to close illegal dumps. Flow control will eliminate the $2 million net service fee,” and said “the original Solid Waste Management agreement called for flow control. It if fails, the RRA will survive, but be more dependent on the county’s net service fee.”
Dare Thompson, representing the League of Women Voters, also believes that the county should go forward with the law. “Flow control creates a fairer playing field for all the haulers,” she said. “You can undo this legislation if you don’t like it. We suggest you try it.”
Kingston’s Abel Garraghan, who toiled in the solid waste business for many a year, urged the county to come up with something sustainable.
A landfill? Where?
Following from the flow control discussion, perhaps inevitably, is the suggestion that Ulster create its own landfill. Such a suggestion led to a battle royal in Ulster back in the early 1990s, as the RRA sought to create such a facility at Winston Farm in Saugerties, just off the Thruway. The proposal was ultimately defeated, and the RRA began exporting its trash.
“The RRA was created for a county landfill. We already have flow control…it’s called economic flow control,” said town of Rochester supervisor Carl Chipman. “The current situation is untenable. We need a landfill and I’m willing to talk about it being in the town of Rochester.”
But Howard Bell of Kerhonkson, who said he lives on the Rochester border, wondered where that might be. “What troubles me is all this talk about a county landfill. It may be a necessity, but where do you site it? What’s Carl’s idea for a site?” (To which someone in the room called out, “Your house …”).
Changaris, the industry spokesman, said landfills are definitely not near the top of the state Department of Environmental Conservation’s list of things to do with the garbage.
“It will take you five to ten years and $5 to $10 million before you even get a shovel in the ground,” he said.
Vote set for December 4
One source close to the county legislature sees it as a close vote, and observed that the mode of operation of County Executive Hein is to spring a complete plan on the legislature on which the balance of the pending county budget rides. Should the legislature choose to reject it, the responsibility would then fall to them to make other cuts in the county budget to offset the loss of the revenue that the plan was designed to bring in. Or find new revenues.
Were there a representative of the executive there, though, he might have pointed out that the county legislature had the ball in its court for years without making a move to resolve the net service fee question.
In informal conversations after the hearing, Legislator Don Gregorius of Woodstock, appeared ready to vote for the measure, one which he believes will pass, though perhaps narrowly. He echoed the position of Dare Thompson, pointing out that the law could be rescinded if it does not work. New Paltz’s Hector Rodriguez was outspokenly in support.
A block that appears to stand it its way is headed by legislator John Parete, of Olive and Shandaken. “I am adamantly opposed to it,” he said. Among other reforms, Parete believes that if the county has to pay a net service fee, it can be absorbed because it is then spread over a wide tax base, including New York City, which owns the Ashokan Reservoir and pays property taxes on wide swaths of land within his district. Parete’s son Richard, also a legislator, says, “I think it’s terrible policy … you’re going to give all that power to five unelected people [the RRA board of directors]?”
The county legislature will vote on the measure at its 7 p.m. Tuesday, December 4 meeting at the County Office Building on Fair Street in Kingston.
your facts about the haulers are incorrect waste managment dumps there trash at ucrra for at least the last 4 years county waste ,royal and taylor also uses ucrra when convenant to there operation this wil not work they willl be back asking for more money
What’s funny about this is that folks are stupid enough to think it will work.
If the problem is that it’s costing more to get rid of the waste than they’re taking in on tipping fees, then forcing more trash to go through UCRRA will only *increase* the deficit. You can’t make up a “loss” on volume.