In the early 00’s, Whitehall City government decided (for you, despite stiff vocal opposition from residents) that the taxpayer’s trash pickup would no longer be picked up as part of a city service. That now, the citizens would have to pay for it directly out of their pockets while still having the tax money which used to pay for it, now going to pay for something else ( I would think, ostensibly, because the ‘city’ could no longer ‘afford’ it). Essentially, a backdoor tax increase. In those contracts, it was one price for pickup for everybody with bulk pickup during ‘spring cleaning’ and however much you set out in your own cans every week. That was the way its been then for the last 20 years.

Cut to…the latest contract in 2020. That which has brought great upset to the public.
“The lids have to be shut for Local Waste to take it”
“They didn’t pick up my trash!”
“the can isn’t big enough for my family, now I have to purchase a larger one”
“they won’t take this, they won’t take that”
“I’m gonna have to start keeping trash back (to save money)”
The complaints have been numerous, loud and bitter. Of course, from ‘The City’s’ standpoint, its very simple: the new contract encourages more recycling. What it also is, is a pay for play setup; the more trash you produce, the more you pay (this one seemingly encouraging people to create less waste in a throwaway society that practically demands consumption!). When ‘The City’ explains itself, it always has ALL the right answers and the air of a reasonable and professional government entity. When you’re the ‘smoke-blowers’ and the great and powerful ‘Oz’, it is easy to play the big/smart entity with all the answers, those which you want people to hear which will cause you the least ‘trouble’. However, with critical thinking skills, one can cut into and through that smoke and mirrors to realities that exist, those they’re certainly not going to offer up (as it threatens the stability of their vested interests, because, when it comes down to it, those are everything, not you).

Let me then cut through some of that smoke (as is seemingly my role here in Whitehall) to say that which they don’t want you to know and/or think about:

a) They are encouraging you to recycle through your pocketbooks. If you have to pay more for more trash, perhaps then you’ll do what you can to lessen that load (expense). While this is a backdoor method to get you to recycle more, for an admirable reason, while it encourages lessening the trash to the landfills, it also, in getting you to pay more for more trash, in essence, ‘penalizes‘ you for having more people in your home, i.e. children and spouses, where that was never the case before. Whereas for the past 20 years we all paid the same rate (and I never heard anyone grouse about it), now suddenly, you’re paying more than others. If everyone paying the same rate for 20 years was fine, why is it now no longer so? The change, for whatever reason, still has the unavoidable result of being a ‘family tax’. This in a country that is uber-family and uber-consumerist. It not only discourages more trash then, but discourages, financially, the added people who will produce it (particularly in families with low incomes…).

b) They claim that all the info was put out there and still they heard no objections (since when do objections halt them from doing anything?!) Because of this, the Mayor’s representatives on council…I mean…your representatives on council, voted yes to the trash contract. The entire time citizens complained about the new trash contract, ‘The City’s’ responses never alluded to the truth of it (that its pay for play trash pickup) but instead merely answered to the concerns the ultimate truth caused; lids having to be closed, nothing set aside the cans, etc. I heard NO ONE: the Mayor, Mr. Woodruff or Council, say what the truth of it was but yet, our representatives voted to approve the contract. If they knew exactly what the contract entailed; a) why would they burden the residents like that in a town where resident’s incomes are finite and b) why wouldn’t they have copped to the contract’s truth if they knew it existed? (I think its because they knew how pissed off you would be. They don’t like to utter ugly truths because they know it will get you in a lather and possibly cause their seat of power to be in jeopardy…)
Regardless, your representatives are supposed to be up there working for you. They are not an arm of the administration, no matter how much the Mayor would like you to think they’re all a ‘Team’. They are supposed to have independent voices and minds for your benefit. If they knew what this contract entailed and voted yes on it, shame on them. If they didn’t know what it entailed and voted to pass it, shame on them.

c) If, at one time, ‘The City’ was forced to end trash service as part of a city service, because it needed the tax dollars to be appropriated for other things, why then, when we seem to have such a largesse as to have fleets of vehicles for every aspect of ‘The City’s’ governance and Park Rangers and raises for everybody and new Dog Parks, why is the best they can do is to squeeze us harder and harder for more money? Why must we now have to pay MORE money, above and beyond what is a normal raise during a new contract? How about we cut the Community Affairs Coordinator position and use that to cover some of this overage the citizens are always expected to pick up while ‘The City’ itself has no financial burdens (with OUR money). They’ve all got jobs, they have no worries where extra money is gonna come in, they’ll still get paid and have extra positions added to boot. There always seems to be plenty of money for ‘The City’ and its operation while its compliant citizenry are always expected to dig deeper to make all their ends meet.

It seems then in Whitehall, ‘The City’ flourishes financially while the taxpayers financials decline.