At 2:00 pm on Monday, December 28, 2020, the Allegany County Legislators will hold a Board Meeting to pass a “RESOLUTION ESTABLISHING SOLID WASTE RESIDENTIAL USER FEES EFFECTIVE JANUARY 1, 2021”. The user fee will increase from $200 per year to $250 per year, an estimated revenue increase of approximately $240,000 (source Wellsville Regional News, December 25, 2020). During these trying times it is understandable that the Legislators would be looking for ways to increase lost funds and increasing the Solid Waste Residential User Fee is appealing, but as a resident I feel this is a questionable move at this time. Right now, there are serious concerns over the future of many programs but with families doing their best to survive on fewer hours at work or unemployment, this is not the time to increase this fee. In the Spring of 2020, people were out of work due to ‘New York on PAUSE’ and we saw an increase in garbage being dumped in ditches, over banks, and on private property, leaving private citizens and public employees to clean up the mess so there is a real concern that this will get worse if people can’t pay the extra $50 for a Solid Waste Tag. It isn’t just an unsightly mess that is an issue, there are residents (and nonresidents) who use syringes and casually throw them in their regular trash instead of using a Sharps Container for proper disposal. Given that we live in a litigious society and there are loopholes that could be exploited to hold the county at least partially responsible for a scenario such as this, are the County Legislators willing to face the consequences of possible lawsuits if a private citizen or public employee becomes infected with a blood-borne disease from a needlestick when they’re cleaning up garbage that has been thrown in ditches or on private property? I understand that the Legislators are in a dilemma and need to find funds somewhere, but I don’t believe this is the way. The Legislators should reach out to the residents for ideas and get input on these proposals via public comment before they vote to implement them. If we all work together we can come up with solutions to move forward.
Respectfully,
Paula Clayson
