Private pick-ups approved

Moorcroft entertained another work session last Wednesday night in their continuing effort to ascertain a true projected budget for the continued in-house garbage collection versus the privatization of municipal garbage pick-up for Moorcroft.

The group again discussed the advantages opposed to the disadvantage of following though with the plan of hiring a private contractor to pick up Moorcroft's garbage as part of a deal allowing the commercial trucks to dump at the town's landfill.

The projected budget put together by Public Works Director Cory Allison did not contain needed considerations such as salaries. Councilman Paul Smoot admonished the exception of these as well as the cost of health insurance and any other benefits of himself as well as Clerk/Treasurer Cheryl Schneider and Deputy Clerk Jodi Clark, each of whom are and will be working for the enterprise.

"They should be included in these numbers, but weren't," he said. He asked for a more complete base from which to better project a realistic budget.

The entire governing body voiced their endorsement of moving forward. However, there are problems to be addressed.

The privatization will bring in nominal profit or be a "wash" for the town, according to Councilman Dale Petersen, with anticipated monthly revenue to the town of about $4000 and a cost of approximately $6000.

"We're down $2000 right off the bat. The net result is, for us, a negative," he said. "That's what I'm having a hard time with in my mind. Where are we going to pick up the $2000?”

Councilman Ben Glenn opined that the problem comes from the pickup being separate from the endeavor of privatizing the landfill, saying, “It’s tough to do one without the other because the one backfills the coffer where you’re shortfalling in the front.”

The landfill is not currently paying its own way, “Right now, from what I see,” according to Smoot, “we’re paying for it from the other departments, no question about it.”

Mayor Dick Claar disagreed that the landfill has to pay for itself; nevertheless, he admitted that it should. The landfill is, in fact, not an enterprise account like water or sewer that must, by statute, pay for its own operation.

However, Councilman Owen Mathews asked of the garbage pick-up, “If it doesn’t pay for itself, where are you paying for it from?”

Mathews summarized his point: “We’re already going to have to subsidize it out of our direct distributions. When we do this, we have to be honest and ask what we reasonably expect.”

After a final examination of the projected budget at Monday night’s special meeting, the decision to go ahead with the privatization of the Moorcroft municipal garbage was approved and awarded to Western Waste; the contracted pick up will begin the first week in March.

This decision is in conjunction with the opening of the landfill to the public as of Tuesday, February 5; the site will be open Tuesdays through Friday, from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.