NORTH SMITHFIELD – Two and a half months into a new trash program that initially brought out many questions and complaints, Public Works Director Raymond Pendergast says things are now running smoothly with the town’s waste collection.
“Complaints have really fallen substantially low,” Pendergast told Town Council members during an update on the program this week.
Cranston-based Waste Management took over North Smithfield’s collection service and automated the town”s system, a change that came with new carts and a move to bi-weekly recycling collection. The new program officially began July 1, and Pendergast noted that the Department of Public Works has since been addressing any issues that come up.
One issue, he noted, was that many residents living in in-law apartments did not initially receive their own carts, a problem that was eventually resolved by ordering more.
“When we first rolled out the program, the first month, it was a little chaotic, because all the people who were the in-laws weren’t getting their containers,” Pendergast said. “The numbers we were given were slightly off.”
The problem was resolved by ordering more carts, a move the director noted added $16,000 to the town’s initial contract with Waste Management.
Another concern expressed by many residents at a meeting leading up to the change was the limitation on how much trash can be collected from a home each week. Households were issued a single 64-gallon trash cart and 96-gallon recycling cart, leading many to worry it wasn’t enough space for the town’s larger families.
The town ultimately decided to offer additional trash bins at a cost of $319 a year. Additional recycling bins can also be purchased at the Highway Garage at 281 Quaker Highway for a one time fee of $45 for a 65-gallon receptacle or $65 for 96 gallons.
“They keep those,” Pendergast said of the extra recycling bins. “We want more people recycling than anything.”
Pendergast said that only 21 of the town”s roughly 4,500 households have taken advantage of the option to purchase an extra trash bin.
“It’s not really as bad as everybody’s making it out to be,” he said. “There was so much outrage, but there isn’t. When 21 units are taking advantage of this, there doesn’t seem to be a problem.”
Pendergast noted that the change to the town’s system came as a result of new limits on municipal disposal implemented by the Rhode Island Resource Recovery Center. The town must pay for disposal of tonnage over and beyond the limit, and the cap has decrease by 6 percent over the past several years.
“That is the main problem with people throwing everything in the world out,” he said. “This is not just North Smithfield. This is a statewide problem. That’s the reason for that.”
Pendergast also addressed questions regarding residents who hadn’t paid for their additional trash bins, noting two or three households received the carts early before the council had set the $319 fee. He noted that Recycling Coordinator Vanny Mey is now working to reconcile the errant accounts.
“That will be taken care of,” he said.
The comments follow an anonymous letter mailed out to councilors and several media outlets in August stating that Pendergast was giving away trash barrels to his family and friends.
“We have seen this happen so it is not just a rumor,” the letter stated. “Some pay $319 some do not.”
Pendergast did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the letter.
On Monday, he noted that problem of rejected recycling loads – another issue that has previously cost the town money at the landfill – is also improving, in part because improperly disposed items are now being left curbside.
“Instead of dumping that, and having the whole load contaminated, we tag that resident and then send a notice why your recycling wasn’t picked up,” he said. “That’s working. That’s almost like educating the people curbside.”
He noted the biggest offender in terms of improper items put in recycling bins is plastic bags.
“A notice is going out and they’ll be educated on this,” Pendergast said, “Hopefully, that’s going to pick some traction up.”
He noted many residents have been saving space in their recycling bins by dropping off cardboard at the garage on Wednesdays from 3 to 6 p.m. and Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
“We have a huge container at highway and it’s working out well,” he said.
Pendergast said the one improvement he would still like to see is the addition of a credit card system at the DPW building for payments. Right now, the department can only accept checks or cash.
‘”It’s just not the way people do business anymore,” he said.
Finance Director Antony St. Onge said he will look into obtaining a system to accept card payments.
Councilor John Beauregard questioned if residents are as satisfied with the new system as Pendergast assumes.
“I wouldn’t use 21 households as a barometer to see that people are ok with the system,” Beauregard said. “Everywhere I go, people are talking trash.”
Beauregard said that just that morning, someone had called him questioning the $319 fee.
Pendergast responded that other municipalities don’t even off the extra bins and that when divided by 52 weeks, the cost comes to $6.37.
“That’s my answer to that criticism,” he said.
Council President Kimberly Alves asked the DPW director to deliver trash updates monthly in the future.
Ii is interesting that all the “large families shouldn’t have to pay for a second bin” advocates — including John Beauregard — have now suddenly gone silent and have no explanation for why they are up in arms about “large families” having to pay an extra fee for their excess trash but don’t care about the corresponding unfairness to North Smithfield condo owners who pay the same residential property tax rates as single-family homeowners but get ABSOLUTELY NO TOWN TRASH PICKUP and have to pay for private trash pickup.
And you all also know full well that the small senior tax discount more than pays for itself because those seniors are unlikely to have any school-age kids and therefore aren’t adding additional costs to the town school system — which is the biggest expense we have in this town. It’s the very same reasoning behind every town government preferring to approve age restricted 55+ housing developments or developments where the units are mostly studios, and 1 or 2 bed units.
The disingenuousness of these arguments has been pretty preposterous. Stop playing the voters for dummies.
Visited the DPW today to dump some grass and leaves. To my surprise there is a new process where DPW workers dump your grass/leaf bags and inspect for trash. The person who assisted in my grass/leaf bag inspection said there has been numerous instances of trash being dumped inside those bags. Is Ray sure this new trash program is running smoothly???
This happens even if the program was rolled out for multiple years. Some people just like to see what they can get away with, then throw hissy fits when they don’t get their way.
Well, I won’t argue with you BM, but in 45 years it’s the first time a DPW worker carried my bags to the pile and emptied them. It’s also the first time anyone at the DPW commented on multiple instances of trash being dropped off at the yard waste station. But as you say “some people just like to see what they can get away with”
I want to say the people getting caught doing that, had to pay a fine and/or were on a no pick up list as punishment for x amount of time, but that was over 20 years ago at this point.
Some of you may note that I don’t normally get involved in trash discussion except to help find information for specific questions. In all of the above sniping I did not notice one mention of the fact that the 64 gallon trash container is equal to the two 32 gallon trash containers we had been allowed previously. If people are having problems with the 64 and did not feel any pressure in the past, that means to me they were ignoring expectations and setting out whatever they wanted and getting away with it. As far as the math goes nothing is different and I appreciate Mr Pendergast trying to find a way to keep costs down. Even if we subsidize the $319 additional cost for individual families to add that to their personal supplies. We all as taxpayers will bear the burden of the increased cost to the town. Interesting to me the people in town identifying as conservatives are pushing a narrative that seems more socialist to me.
If residents are looking for tips on how to decrease their volume of trash, please stop by the parks & recreation booth at pumpkinfest.
oh come on, its more fun to throw a tantrum!!
While initially I had my doubts, all in all this has worked out ok. However, I believe families (maybe 4 or more ) that need additional bins either trash or recycling should have them provided them free of charge. I read in the article above, it is just a handful of households who have requested extra trash bins and if free, I would imagine demand may go up but probably not “through the roof” as complaints seem to be minimal per the article.
We have always recycled a lot and this bin we have is really not enough for a bi-weekly collection scenario, I have been bringing extra recyclables to family members homes that had capacity, and I should not have to be doing this, nor should I have to be dropping them off at the limited hours of the town facility. On only 2 occasions have I had to bring trash elsewhere for removal, one time because the bin was not adequate and the 2nd because the trash operator for whatever reason did not fully empty the bin. Now that is still 2 times too many but like I said so far “Ok”. Recycling for us is the larger issue.
As far as taxes and subsidizing etc., few solutions are totally equitable. I would like to be able to throw out my trash and recycle as much as we can w/o a hassle.
Mike the problem is I have to pay for someone who has a large family. I believe in the user should pay, for example if I use more water, oil, or electricity I pay more. People who are frugal should not be penalized by people who are extravagant.
Hi Dave,
Thx for your feedback and I can understand your point of view. However,
we are def. not extravagant, we just recycle everything we can, and I should be able to have the same trash/recycle service as others in town. We all pay taxes and again, since the demand for extra bins seems to not be, even a little high, quite low actually, then I do not think the cost of providing them to those who need them is going to really be a financial burden on anyone. If the opposite were to be true, then some further thought may be needed here. Similar to those in town with no kids who pay school taxes, no one solution in a shared community is going to lean itself to a tailored payment scenario.
Michael, so what’s next? Parents pay more for schools vs seniors? Parents who use the bus pay more vs kids who get rides? Where does it stop?
How do you rationalize seniors getting homestead exemptions but larger families now paying another fee/tax for additional trash capacity?
Tony calm down. The trash was based on the average household.
Hi JP, I am not sure I follow you. I said I would like those who need additional trash or recycling bins to get them free of charge…..
That’s for Michael Clifford and all his “supporters”
Sorry Mike, Tony is confused, no one follows what he saying right now either.
It’s pretty easy to rationalize JP. The idea behind the senior citizen exemption is that keeping seniors living in their house costs the town less — ie. they do not have school-age kids that need to be educated in the town’s school system (you know, the thing that most of all our taxes all go to pay for?), so the school system costs are less.
So since the town isn’t having to spend money to educate more kids, the seniors get a little break on their taxes and then maybe don’t have to sell their house to a young family that would then bring more school-age kids into the school system and increase the cost to run the school system.
The seniors exemption IS SAVING the town money and is actually the exact opposite of the situation where a large family is COSTING THE TOWN MONEY by asking the town to not make them pay for the additional dumping fees the town has to pay to dump their excess trash.
Recycling bins are a small one time fee it looks like. I’ve actually decreased my trash and increased my Recycling.
What’s next Mike — should we go to a flat-rate water usage fee too, so small households can also subsidize the water usage of larger families too? Maybe we can all subsidize your electric bill too?
There’s no “hassle” here — just pay for the extra bin you need to discard the extra recycling you produce.
Wow! A trash article gets all the cackling hens in an uproar in the comment section.
Sandy, do you think that you adequately addressed the entirety of the Town Council meeting held on Monday night? You have missed the most important aspects and concerns of North Smithfield voters…your focus during election season seems to be wholly on issues that John cares about….trash, pickleball, parking at the field, etc. In addition, he recently has started sending in his own photos at ribbon cutting ceremonies. These are events usually reserved for a TA or Council President….we know that JB is one of your biggest contributors during campaign season, but come on…..tell all the news or none at all. This is cherry picking with unfounded allegations by at least one candidate, whose unfounded allegations should be removed.
Hi Mary.
If you’re going to be offensive, I would ask that you put some effort into accuracy. I have written literally nothing about pickleball and I haven’t covered any stories regarding parking at the field in a very, very long time. Another publication has, and by the way – candidates advertise there too! I wrote about trash because a detailed update was given, I hadn’t written about it recently and the entire premise of the article was that things are going well – the exact opposite of what the individual you’re accusing me of pandering to has been saying.
As far as the photos, I was not aware of the restaurant opening until after the fact. John offered to provide his – and it turns out he was the only N.S. official in attendance, although others were also invited from what I’ve heard. I said yes to the photos as the opening is newsworthy and the pictures were great – although I agree he personally was in more of them than would have been ideal. But I do publish submitted photos pretty routinely.
I know it’s the political season and people are on edge and eager to do whatever they can to promote their own agendas – but come on. I have never in my 15 years of journalism covered every issue discussed at a council meeting and I have never claimed every article is a comprehensive coverage of one. I’m not sure what aspects of the meeting you feel I “missed” but the senior/community center was the main topic discussed and there was not much new from the last time I reported on it pretty recently. And if you paid attention to how news is published – both here and elsewhere – you would know there are often multiple articles regarding topics from a single meeting. I’m not saying I will write more from this particular one – I probably won’t. Either way, that decision will be made according to what I feel is the most newsworthy, underreported (not recently covered by me or others) and useful to readers. And I’m not going to spend time justifying every choice.
I’ve had many advertisers over the years and have more than once been in the position of having to publish extremely negative/unflattering stories about some of my biggest supporters. I do it anyway because I have integrity, and it’s part of the job. I would politely ask that if you truly think I have been “bought” – pretty much the worst accusation you can hurl at someone in my position – that you patronize some other publication and bring such commentary with you.
Sandy, why did you choose to include information from some mysterious anonymous letter? Seems irresponsible. Can anyone write letters, not attach a name to it and you publish portions of its content?
Hi Sam. I received the letter awhile ago and hadn’t intended to do anything with it – until the topic was actually addressed at the meeting. That, specifically, is what I felt made it relevant enough to mention briefly in the context of other issues related to trash.
I’ve gotten many such anonymous letters in the past and typically have not used the content. In this case, however, the accusation has been publicly discussed and is either unfounded or not – regardless of that source. While not regular practice, there are often cases where an anonymous source is used. I personally would never base an entire article on one. Here, it was mentioned within context of a larger issue.
On a separate note though, if someone distributed something like that about me personally, I would want it openly discussed so I could address it.
It seems to me that this anonymous hit letter is the very same trash that the very same people went all in on regarding Paulette Hamilton. By the way, I was at that meeting and while trash did come up, I do not recall anything about an anonymous letter. But, thank you for pointing out why people like this, should never be allowed anywhere near town government.
Sandy – 1
Mary – 0
And thankfully someone did send a letter about Ms. Hamilton back in the day. Look how much she had to fess up to and how she made our town look with her numerous poor decisions.
It must have been you…this is the only paper in town whereby Sandy could note who is actually writing offensively…it is usually you, JP, Tony insulting women or JB bashing Mike or Bryan…as far as this paper….no problem…it is a one sided, ineffective mouthpiece for those men in town who have very little to offer…Mary…too smart to put up with this rubbish. No pun intended.
Mary,
I have provided this platform where you can publish your opinions. I would hope you’d use it to make comments that are fair, coherent and on topic – or at the very least truthful. If you choose instead to use it to bash the very forum you’re utilizing without seeing the irony, so be it. If you choose not to acknowledge that you were wrong at the start regarding which stories have and have not been published here, that’s fine. But please, try to remember that no one is asking you to “put up” with anything. You’re choosing to be here, to comment extensively, to take and give offense. Perhaps the smart thing to do would be to just stop?
She can’t help herself. She and her group are always “victimized”. She and Mike and BM never seem to see anything wrong in what the write or do, but everyone else “makes them feel bad”
I imagine she’s been clutching her pearls all afternoon perhaps pulling out strands of hair the more “unhinged” she has become.
The threat to democracy is people like her who want to live in an echo chamber and silence any dissent against them. Sound familiar??
Sandy – 2
Mary – 0
While I appreciate the support JP the back & forth on this particular story has me ready to enforce a policy that probably won’t be very popular: stick to the issue. Those who mention names, other than to address another individual’s comment would get deleted.
To the people actually discussing the SUBSTANCE of the article: whether or not the trash program is working well & is equitable- please know you guys are the only reason a comment section exists on this forum at all.
Jesus, M and Joseph, please do not vote for John Beauregard, Tony Guertin, Joey Sevigny or Claire O’Hara….with all of the very important issues in town they concentrate on trash and pickleball.
21 people bought an extra trash bin and people really think this is a big issue in our town with over 4000 households? What have all the houses that didn’t not purchase one been doing with their overflow of trash for the last 2 and a half months? The answer is, it’s fitting in the bin they were issued. Let’s stop this nonsense that is being pushed down our throats. Trash is really a non issue. Certain people are just trying to make it seem like a problem. Running a campaign on something like this is so pathetic. But are we really shocked?
Thank you!
And by the same token, if it isn’t that many needing 2, then do not charge them for it!
Some of you would hate my city, we are allowed 200 gal disposal of trash, one day a week, and 200 gal of compost pick up one day a week, yr round. And if remodeling, you can have the city bring a big receptacle 12x8x 4 for$50.00 and you have it for 3 days…..
Extra $20 if you have more compost to take out….otherwise save it for the following week! Roll it into the next week….
We are issued 96 gal bins. Our city costs are rolled out of the taxes collected from all…..NS is being limited by the very basic Waste Mgt tier, which here, is in outlying county areas. We have lower taxes. Better services. Why? Because of city mgt. and great financial mgt, larger city, larger business model. It’s all relative….a sharing. Some have more trash, some have much less. It all averages out so to speak….which brings me to the conclusion if not so many need that extra bin, let them have it. No extra charges. They’re already paying more in taxes somewhere, somehow, as in sales tax revenue, home taxes for the town. Big picture. Not being petty.
Is it working? Of course it’s working. Trash and recycling are being picked up. However, this was never fully and transparently explained to residents or the council as to what this truly is. A reduction in services for all with a byproduct consumption tax passed onto larger households. Councilor Osier doesn’t have the fortitude to stand up to Alves and Hamilton. He has danced around and meekishly hinted that this doesn’t work for younger and larger families, but again won’t go against DPW and TC President.
I’d love to see how many complaints have been logged to the NSPD from businesses and complexes with private trash removal (dumpsters) that show persons disposing of trash in privately managed facilities that they don’t have any business using. I know of at least 5 incidents in town where people have been caught on camera at all hours of the night driving up to private dumpers to rid of trash. Way to potentially drive more business out of town with these poor decisions!
Why not release the video evidence Tony? Which businesses? Do they work there? My family is young, it works great. We’ve actually been able to reduce our trash bag count by a whole bag even!
Just because it works for you doesn’t mean it works for everyone.
My name is not Tony. It is J.P.
Do you have video evidence or not? Which businesses were affected? Maybe I’ll call you Javier, or do you want to be called John, or do you want to be called Jarvis?
Number 1, I am not the business owner so no I don’t have the video.
Number 2, it’s disgusting that you think it’s funny to poke fun at this issue where people have to pay an additional out-of-pocket expense to maintain their household and or private business owners who are being abused by residents Who are Disposing of their trash illegally.
I’m sure everyone in your life is quite proud of the Internet warrior you have become…
So then there’s been no videos, after saying there’s videos of it? I’m just trying to get to the bottom of it.
I’m not poking any fun, I fail to see it as a laughing manner. Are you trying to use the victim card after saying I use it? For shame.
I’m an actual warrior, so there’s that, not just on the internet. Thanks for the compliments Jarvis, John, Javier.
Exactly. We have one poster here who admitted to taking their trash out of town! I predicted this will happen because it happens where I live, as to some. I bet more will follow if limited. Like Holidays bring more trash.
It’s all about tonnage, tipping fees. Go see what is charged PER TON. They’re making money….WM that is. And town saving alright. I doubt several homes will increase the tonnage so much so as to make a major impact in the tonnage/tipping fees while others contribute less. One does not need to be a math whiz to do a little multiplying of costs.
Why aren’t you and all the other residents who own single-family homes in town equally worked up about all the town residents who pay the same residential property tax rates as single-family homeowners but get ABSOLUTELY NO TOWN TRASH PICKUP because they happen in live in a condo instead of a single-family home, and instead have to pay for a private trash pickup service? Why do you only care about the “fairness” for large families?
The point being missed here, economically, is the guy who is paying the $12,000 taxes and not getting any reductions being made to his taxes, has to pay an additional $319 per yr, for that 2nd can, and for now, it can go up, is ALSO more or less paying for the elderly person who HAS a reduction in taxes……penny for penny ….and now having dished out an additional $16,000 by the town, who do you think will be paying for that calculation discrepancy….yup, the tax paying resident who already cannot get a 2nd trash can….…down the road. And JB could have been left out of this argument by just mentioning the example. Just my 2 cents. Enough on the personal attacks.
Agreed on the personal attacks…is it so hard to stick to the facts without mud slinging?
I can see both sides of this issue, and it needs calm, open conversation by decision-makers to come to a fair resolution. The new trash collection system is an upgrade in so many ways. Let’s be positive problem solvers.
Mr. Beauregard has been trying to make “trash” a campaign issue since day one. He advocated that the town should provide anyone who needs more than one bin, a second one for free. At the meeting he told the sad story of his friend who alledgedly pays $12,000 a year in property taxes and is complaining about the hardship of paying $319 for a second bin. Beauregard doesn’t seem to understand it’s impossible to be totally equitable in some things and this is a prime example. If the town buys a second bin for everyone in town who asks for one, the tab will be very costly. The extra money needed to pay for those bins and extra trash in them will be passed off to all taxpayers in the form of a higher tax rate. So an older senior citizen who lives alone on a modest fixed income and produces one tenth of the amount of trash, will subsidize the cost for the guy who pays $12,000 a year in taxes on his $825,000 house. That may sound fair to Councilor Beauregard but not to me. I suspect the majority of seniors in town and single family households would also agree it wouldn’t be fair to them either. If any “Break” is considered, it should be based on income for the truly needy.
Interesting that Mr. Clifford would neglect to mention the elephant in the room:
“Pendergast also addressed questions regarding residents who hadn’t paid for their additional trash bins, noting two or three households received the carts early before the council had set the $319 fee. He noted that Recycling Coordinator Vanny Mey is now working to reconcile the errant accounts. “That will be taken care of,” he said.
The comments follow an anonymous letter mailed out to councilors and several media outlets in August stating that Pendergast was giving away trash barrels to his family and friends. “We have seen this happen so it is not just a rumor,” the letter stated. “Some pay $319 some do not.”
Pendergast did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the letter.”
So many questions in regards to this fiasco and the unaccounted-for trash bins (let’s call them freebies):
• Exactly how many households received the freebies? Is there any accounting system for the total of (serialized) bins, both trash and recycling? Does anyone know how many of each were distributed, where, and if the numbers add up when including those “rented”? If yes, who exactly is handling the accounting – NS DPW or Waste Management? And the cost for additional trash bins has been a topic of discussion for months prior and after – how does the fee relate to free distribution in any way?
• Who exactly got the freebies? Do we know? Friends and family? We need a (forensic?) audit performed immediately – that is a must. Will people now look at their neighbors and wonder if they got a freebie? That’s an unfortunate byproduct, and if it was free this time, won’t it basically be free in perpetuity?
• Where is the transparency and accountability here, and why wasn’t that brought up at the time Mr. Pendergast spent at the podium? Perhaps because his wife, the President of the NS Town Council, doesn’t apply those hallmark standards in this case?
• DPW only accepts cash and checks? Do we have receipts for every trash bin sold, and a spreadsheet to track distributions? Does the math add up? And what about the $2 bags – are they accounted for, with receipts provided for every sale? Who exactly is handling that accounting?
• $6.37 (per week) is “my answer to that criticism”? Actually, I’m thinking $319 a year is a lot of money to some NS residents and taxpayers. And how much next year – no charge for the freebies, right?
• “Council President Kimberly Alves asked the DPW director to deliver trash updates monthly in the future.” How about she, the Council, and the Administration demand that “trash update” – especially in consideration of the serialized database – now?!?
Exactly my point! Penny for penny, this has not, by and large, been a beneficial move for all. And will cost the little ole homeowner much more once all is said and done. It may have looked good initially, but wait until all is calculated. And I can assure you, ppl who have friends or relatives in neighboring towns, or work where there are trash containers, will carry their trash, to those spots as they have limited trash service now in NS. I see it in the rural areas where I reside, where they pay individual bills for limited trash pickup per month with WM.
Mr G….I will refer you to Advisory Opinion # 2016-11….referencing Ms Alves and her hubby, Mr Pendergast.
Decided March 22, 2016 by the RI Ethics Commission……per a request for clarification by Ms Alves.
Enter Tony Guertin who I suspected was a party to that smear campaign letter. With absolutely no evidence of any wrongdoing you are beginning your smear campaign in an attempt to get yourself elected to the town council. It’s the same style of “campaigning” you did when you ran against Paulette Hamilton for town administrator. Thank God you lost. I’m glad to see you give so much credibility to an anonymous letter. How ironic, since you and your friends cautioned people from passing judgement about Administrator Zwolenski when a legal case was pending for his inappropriate actions towards Ms. Rovedo. I get it Tony; don’t jump to conclusions about your buddy’s guilt or innocence but warm up the electric chair when your foe is involved. I’m sure it’s because you know the author of the letter so well. The dynamic firm of Guertin & Company at it once again. Win at any cost and do whatever it takes!
Please stop the personal attacks. They serve no purpose. And going way off base of what the article is about. Stick to the subject. Thank you.
I will stay clear of the personal attacks and just attempt to make the case. It is not a savings, it is a reduction in service, there is a huge difference. Imagine if we cut the fire and police budgets in half. Yes, we would be saving money on paper but it would mean a reduction in service of public safety. Using Mr. Cliffords example of the senior citizen living alone, there is a very good chance that the family of four or more who need an additional trash bin live in a larger residence than this senior citizen. So they are already paying more in taxes, most likely thousands of dollars more. So the senior is not subsidizing the additional trash bin, the home owner is already paying for it in the form of a higher tax bill. The problem is, and Mr. Clifford even touches upon it, not having an additional trash bin will not magically stop a family from producing trash. So what are they supposed to do with it once the one bin is full? They are forced to purchase a second bin at $319/year or find another way to dispose of their trash since their service was reduced. This is a trash tax. The “savings” comes on the backs of larger families in town. The simple solution is to give families of four or more an additional trash bin at no cost if they request it.
Exactly. Agree 100%.
John you clearly haven’t been paying attention in these meetings. It’s troubling that you aren’t understanding this. All of these questions have been addressed multiple times. Why is it not sinking in? Each town/city has a limit on what the state will accept. When you go over the limit, you pay a lot more. So if a large family needs another bin, you pay for it. To help offset the costs of the extra trash that you create. 319 a year is a great deal compared to hiring a company. Just ask people who live in towns where trash is not including in their taxes.
Thank you Linda. After many meetings that I have observed, he has finally started shuffling papers, but never questions anything except his own concerns….Monday, TC meeting, pickleball, although we currently have four courts available for use, but Sandy didn’t address that….
Mary, who cares what you have to say….really. Who gets up at a meeting with a 3 min allotment and uses 2.5 minutes to read your resume of nonsense and self proclaimed accomplishments? Haven’t seen you in an elected position or appointed board in your time in town. You, BM and your web based internet administrator are just noise, like nails on a chalkboard. Perhaps Florida is ready for you full time.
Any candidate that’s endorsed by the cliff notes study group – good luck!
To make a point, Linda is not the only expert on seniors in this town and to point to the fact that we seniors wish for more than a dance hall….please not I did speak to the demographics of town residents and leaving a legacy for further generations, not just the very selfish few.
Calm down Tony, I know it’s difficult to support a failing campaign with both Tony, Joey, and 1st amendment denier, but come on already and stop with the insults.
Linda, I must not have not been paying attention because I still fail to see the logic that a family of seven gets the same allotment of trash as a single person living alone. I also fail to understand how giving that family of seven just one trash bin is going to reduce the amount of trash they produce. It’s kind of like saying if you give someone with a cut fewer bandages they will bleed less. That is just not sinking in, you are right.
Thanks for admitting you don’t pay attention. Weird claim to make in an election cycle though.
He is paying attention and his logic makes perfect sense. The trash bin you were allowed is small, compared to many many towns. We have a 96 gal at my house. Not a puny 64 gal you were alloted. Our recycle picked up weekly is the 64 gallon size. Common sense as to what one produces mostly….trash versus recycle……trash wins.
That’s what’s nice about having lived in various states and cities, you get to compare.
You should recycle more
John this is where you logic is flawed. A person with a family of 7 personally chose to have a large family and should pay more than a single person or a family of 2. A family of 7 pays more for groceries, water, and other services. So why is trash any different. So if I use more gas I should pay the same as someone who uses less gas. Based on your logic we should all be paying the same tax regardless of the value of the house. Time to get rid of the trash.
Yes but in the example given they are already paying a much higher tax than the average resident.
Hey John, why aren’t you equally worked up about all the town residents who pay the same residential property tax rates as single-family homeowners but get ABSOLUTELY NO TOWN TRASH PICKUP because they happen in live in a condo instead of a single-family home, and instead have to pay for a private trash pickup service? Why do you only care about the “fairness” for large families? And you also know full-well the modest senior tax discount more than pays for itself because those seniors are unlikely to have any school-age kids and therefore aren’t adding additional costs to the town school system — which is the biggest expense we have in this town.
So you have little interest Mr. Clifford in transparency and accountability. Why exactly is that? Possibly because Mr. Pendergast’s wife has enabled you to run roughshod over the current Council, and thus the town? Because she gives you carte blanche over town business? But you go right ahead and shoot the messenger, because this is all my fault? I mean, don’t you want to know?
Once again Mr. Guertin you demonstrate your lack of faith in a woman’s ability to take on a leadership position. Honestly Tony, the rest of the world has come to realize that women are independent thinkers and don’t need assistance from any man to govern. You’re delusional in thinking that I have been given carte blanche over town business. If you had watched the meetings regularly, you would have noticed that the Council has not followed through on many of the recommendations I have discussed during public comment. The problem is that you prefer the type of government we had when John was president and did run roughshod over everyone who expressed an opinion different than his. I understand that every foolish move he made was at your direction. It’s unfortunate that he still continues to listen to you.
Mr. Clifford, you brought me into this conversation, you can’t help yourself. I was going to stay out of this. If you keep talking negatively about me I will not accept a donation from you to my campaign and you can forget about me putting a sign in your yard.
That’s what I’m counting on JP. LOL
Lol! Never ever lose that sense of humor! My late husband would drop his pants when I went on my tirades or brought me dried grass bunched in his hand, like a bouquet, as a token of good will! Lol! Wins every time against further war!
Mr. Guertin, that is the longest line of BS that you have ever put out there. Anyone believing that conspiracy of yours needs a shrink. Thank God the towns voters see right through all of your lies and will never vote you in. Please go back under that rock you crawled out from.
How are you giving an anonymous letter any credibility? Why is this even mentioned in the article? Something doesn’t smell right, and it’s not the trash…… Tony quotes from the letter “We have seen this happen…” So the letter is from multiple people??? Come on people, we should be smart enough to see through this. You seem quite fixated on this letter. Hmmm …
Mr. Pendergast admitted to improprieties: “noting two or three households received the carts early before the council had set the $319 fee. He noted that Recycling Coordinator Vanny Mey is now working to reconcile the errant accounts.” Don’t you want to know the details? I sure do – but shooting the messenger is so much easier than fact-finding.
NS residents and taxpayers deserve to know. I stand by my questions.
Tony Guertin, the only resident clamoring to know the details is you. Whether it was two or three containers is no big deal. She’s billing them. If there is anyone who needs more details they should pick up the phone and call Vanny.
It’s no big deal? How exactly do you know that Mr. Clifford? I sure would like to see a full accounting, especially since the DPW Director admitted something is amiss. Why wouldn’t you? Don’t you pride yourself on being a watchdog? What’s different here???
And – so now it’s Vanny’s problem?
I stated “Whether it was two or three containers is no big deal” because you quoted the number in your comment above. Yes Tony, it is Vanny’s problem. because she is after all, the the Town’s Recycling Coordinator and has been the “go to” person for issues and extra containers with this new program. I’m sure she’ll do her best to give anyone who calls an answer to there questions.
So Mike, a family of 7 with a household income of $100k should pay $319 for an extra bin and ALSO subsidize residents on homestead exemptions and stabilization plans? Got it. That’s fair.
All about Mikes wallet here folks.
Now we know who the mastermind is behind this new plan pulling the strings of his TC president puppet and her head of DPW husband (not a conflict of interest of anything)
This town is a joke!
So John, you’re not fooling anyone. A needs based exemption would work just like student financial aid does. A family of 7 living on an income of $100k a year would probably qualify using a needs based exemption. As you know John, I’ve consistently advocated for all exemptions to be need based. It has nothing to do with my wallet.
Just the possibility of someone being against you is so difficult to comprehend that it has to be me behind JP’s comments. Nobody would ever speak out against you. Sorry, wrong again. JP is not me. And to be honest, I really don’t care who he or she is. He or she is doing what half the people on these pages do (including yours) but you only single out that person.
Sure John, I’m wrong again. Lol
Mike it’s pathetic how you hold this town back single handedly from any prosperity. You call for halts in spending, don’t build a new police station, we need a 5 year plan etc. What happens when we get the 5 year plan? Next you will claim the people who did it are unqualified and then we need an audit and another plan from someone else that you don’t trust….the cycle never ends.
Everyone is incompetent and everyone wants to spend your money in your paranoid mind. It’s quite sad.
Tell us the last time you advocated to spend or invest in this town and the last time you admitted you were “wrong” !
Stop stop stop. Stick to the trash bin article please. Personal attacks need to stop and more discussion needs to happen! Easy to fall in the trap of bashing, heck I did it myself as I got caught up in it. But regroup…we are personally better than that!
The last time I advocated for major spending was for the $12 million dollar bond project for road repaving and the renovations of Kendall Dean and the Police Station. Then you got elected John Beauregard, replaced the building committee with your buddies, who like you wanted a Taj Mahal station and the renovation projects became a disaster.
Is there a bonafide needs-based free 2nd trash bin in place for use by residents? What must they do to get it if so? I think that’s why the big stinkaroo on the 2nd bin issue…..there is no exemption …?
Where is the reply to my email and where is my apology?
Some may just resort to burning it too. Not always a healthy alternative, but some may….to get rid of it. If they haven’t already….or throw it by the roadside or in the woods, cemetery trash bins, supermarket trash bins, you name it. It’s too early to see just how ppl will handle the overload…but they will, in their own way, find a way out of paying that $319.
Best solid waste move No. Smithfield could’ve ever made. Streets of the town on rubbish/recycling days have never been cleaner after pickup. Well played!
I think we just give people time to adjust to the new trash process. The old method of not recycling well, was not the answer. Maybe it is just time to stop talking about trash and just throw out the trash.