Point Reyes Light - October 26, 2000
Bolinas residents to vote whether to dump trash hauler
By Gregory Foley
With relations uneasy between Bolinas Public Utility District and Shoreline Disposal, the town’s trash hauler, Bolinas residents on Nov. 7 will be asked their opinion on who should handle their garbage service starting in 2002.
Measure G, a short 45-word advisory measure put on the ballot by the utility district, asks townspeople if they want the district to "take over solid waste collection services, acquire equipment, and provide residential and commercial garbage collection and recycling services" after the existing contract with Shoreline Disposal expires on Dec. 31, 2001.
The measure vows that if such a shift were made, the "2002 cost for weekly curbside pickup would not exceed [Shoreline’s] 2001 charges."
BPUD board president Vic Amoroso said this week that the non-binding measure will merely gauge public opinion, and does not force the board’s decision on the matter. "I don’t feel that a ‘yes’ vote on this is the go-ahead for us to take over the garbage," he said. "It’s the ‘yes’ for us to look at this further."
Meeting set
A special meeting to discuss Measure G has been set for 8 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 1, at the district’s Elm Road headquarters.
At issue is whether BPUD, a small operation with a limited budget, can match the service and pricing of Shoreline, which is owned and operated by the Houston-based trash conglomerate Waste Management International.
Opponents of the measure assert that despite the problems of contracting with a large corporation that holds a virtual monopoly over the region’s garbage hauling and disposal, the district is already over-burdened with managing the town’s sewer and water systems.
Malcolm Ponder, a Bolinas tax-consultant, said he believes that the service provided by Shoreline is both reliable and affordable. "I can’t find any reason to move forward with this," Ponder said. "BPUD has its hands full. All of us with busy lives need to know that every Thursday our garbage will be picked up, rain or shine."
Amoroso agreed that Shoreline has provided consistent service, but notes that since the company was bought by Waste Management about three years ago, it has shown an overall "disrespect for the customer."
Landfill lawsuit
At the core, Amoroso said, is the company’s cross-complaint against BPUD in a series of lawsuits related to the closing of the West Marin Sanitary Landfill in Point Reyes Station. "I have no complaint with the service, but a complaint with the management, which is suing its customers," he said.
Bolinas sample ballots offer arguments both for and against BPUD’s handling and managing the town’s garbage service. A self-described "objective" argument supporting the measure, written by district manager Phil Buchanan and signed by three of the five directors, outlines two different service options being considered by the board:
• Buying a small truck to transport trash and recyclables to a transfer facility, which would be located on BPUD property across from the fire station on Mesa Road. Trash would be compacted on site and recycled materials separated into a large receptacle. The material would then be hauled away by a contractor to a landfill or resource recovery site.
• Buying a small compactor truck that would haul garbage directly to a landfill. Recyclables would be collected by a contractor selected through a bidding process. Residents would also have the option to drop off trash at a specified location for a fee.
Amoroso said that BPUD could eventually offer "customized" garbage and recycling service to Bolinas to "better meet the community’s needs and values."
Rate cap unconvincing
Ponder, BPUD director Joan Bertsch, and fire district director Mike Aitken, in a ballot argument opposing Measure G, cite the promised rate cap as a significant concern. "Shoreline’s increases have been relatively insignificant," Ponder said. "And the BPUD guarantee is only for one year. If they take over, it’s like the fox guarding the henhouse. They set the rates."
Shoreline now charges customers $16.15 per-month for weekly pickup of a 32-gallon can, and in its contract is permitted to add an inflation adjustment in 2001. While BPUD has hired a consultant to assist in predicting the district’s costs of providing trash collection services, Amoroso said this week that more research is needed before directors could act on any proposed changes.
"My guess is that the directors will view this issue differently as it all unfolds," he said.