By Brian McGillivary
bmcgillivary@record-eagle.com
May 06, 2008 04:00 am TRAVERSE CITY -- A push to reduce the cost of residential trash service has languished for months in a Grand Traverse County committee system some contend is overly influenced by trash haulers. Traverse City and Garfield Township officials proposed joining forces as a trash authority to determine if they could bid-out residential trash pick-up to cover those areas. Those communities asked the county's Resource Recovery department last summer for help with the process. They're still waiting, and some local officials aren't happy with the process. "The waste haulers are totally driving this process and they don't want anything changed," said city Commissioner Jim Carruthers, a city appointee to the county Resource Recovery Council. "It's a waste of the city's time to deal with the Resource Recovery Council; they are just dragging their feet." Carruthers charged that Monica Fiebing, chairwoman of the Resource Recovery Council, has stalled action on the request by the city and Garfield Township. Fiebing's husband operates a small trash hauling business. She's the trash industry's representative on the council. Fiebing dismissed the allegation of the waste industry's influence and said there's no reason to rush the process. "They want to have their hand held and have someone walk them through it," Fiebing said. "If the city and township feel it's going too slow they should spend some of their own time and money." Fiebing wants the county's Board of Public Works to ask all townships in Grand Traverse County if they would participate in an authority, a move that could delay a decision for several more months. "And that's OK, because this is a process that doesn't have to be done yesterday," she said. County residents currently contract with a variety of waste haulers to pick up trash and recyclables. The city and township want to investigate if creating an authority could provide more efficient, economical service. Carruthers said residents tell him they're weary of various trash haulers coming down their streets as many as six times per week. One truck providing service for an entire street would reduce pollution and road wear, and be more efficient for trash haulers, he said. But such a move potentially could cut into haulers' profits and put some smaller operators out of business. Garfield Township Supervisor Lee Wilson said the process has taken "a lot more time than it should have," but blamed a recent reorganization of the resource recovery department. The county board last fall drastically cut the department budget, and its director resigned. There are no plans to hire a replacement. The city then asked the county if it would hire a consultant to help develop a plan for the city and Garfield. The city obtained one estimate of $95,000 to study and implement a trash hauling authority. But there's no guarantee the county board would be receptive to a trash authority. County board Chairman Addison Wheelock Jr. last week called studying an authority premature and a "waste of money."
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