Statements in response to Aaron Foster’s Letter To the Editor of the Journal Inquirer
Lori Spielman:
In an effort to clear up any misunderstanding regarding the trash hauler contract with All- American Waste, please read the following notice:
In 2008, the Town of Ellington bid the trash and recycling collection and awarded the bid to All –American Waste, LLC. Within the original contract was the option to renew for an additional 5 year extension in 2013. This was agreed upon to assist with the change in how the collection was done. This change consisted of supplying 96-gallon tipper barrels to each household, one for trash and one for recycling. Also included in this bid was the collection of condominiums and the collection of oversized household waste by appointment at no cost to the residents.
In 2013, the extension of the bid was approved by all members of the Board of Selectman and would extend the current bid to 2018 with CPI increases each year. During the past year, All-American approached the Town to offer an extension of the current bid with no increase in the cost of collection for three years, or until 2020, and an additional two years at CPI increases. This in turn secured the cost of collection and would allow the Board of Selectman and Finance to know that the cost of trash and recycling (along with the free by-appointment bulky waste collection) would be stable until 2020; this would help with the overall financial impact to the residents of Ellington.
The one factor that every town in Connecticut cannot control fully is the cost of disposal. The Town of Ellington has contracted with MIRA, formally CRRA, in Hartford to accept the Town’s trash and recycling. This contract is what is known as Tier One, Long Term Municipal Solid Waste Management Services Agreement; signing this in November of 2012 guaranteed that the Town of Ellington would be able to send household trash and recycling to Hartford. By signing on to the Tier 1 level, the Town received a discount in the tipping fee and continues to dispose of waste at a reduced rate compared to communities that did not sign on for the Tier 1 Level. The tipping fee in 2012 was $62.50 per ton and currently is $68.00 per ton delivered to MIRA. There is no charge for our recyclables. The cost of disposal is directly related to where the contractor has to deliver the waste; the Town of Ellington’s contractor must go to Hartford, while some of our surrounding communities require their contractor to go to either West Springfield, MA or Preston, CT. This cost to haul is a cost to the contractor. Currently, the Town of Ellington receives a $10.00 rebate per ton by signing on with MIRA, which equals more savings for our residents.
I strongly believe the actions taken by the Boards of Selectman and Finance have and continue to keep taxes in check via the stabilization of both the collection and disposal of our household waste and recycling.
Deanna Wambolt – Gulick:
Democratic candidate for First Selectman, Mr. Aaron Foster, has been making some very misleading claims as part of his campaign here in Ellington. One such claim refers to Ellington’s town spending on trash removal. Mr. Foster claims that in an “apple to apple comparison” with Tolland, Ellington overpays for trash removal by $220,000. That is obviously an eye-popping number. Mr. Foster continues to explain that Ellington’s overpayment translates to residents paying $14.91 per household per month, while Tolland residents pay just $12.55 per household per month.
However, Mr. Foster’s claim is inherently flawed because there is no direct comparison between the two trash contracts. Each contract offers a different level of service for residents. In Ellington, we have weekly trash pick-up, biweekly recycling, and year round bulky waste removal at no extra charge. Tolland residents aren’t so lucky; according to their town’s website Tolland’s contract outlines weekly trash removal and biweekly recycling, but bulky waste removal is only sponsored by the town of Tolland for one week in October. Any other time a Tolland resident requires bulky waste removal, they must pay $32 per pick up “charged by the vendor.” So this $32 fee is outside of the contract, not paid for by Tolland, and not reimbursing Tolland for anything. Therefore, by Mr. Foster’s own admission, this fee is not included in his calculations since he compared only “contract to contract” costs in his formula.
Thus, if we consider the burden of paying for bulky waste removal into his formula, Mr. Foster’s claim that Ellington residents overpay disappears. If a Tolland household used bulky waste removal just once a year, not during October, their per household spending would rise from $12.55 per month to $15.22 per month. Compared to Ellington’s $14.91 per household per month, it becomes clear that Tolland residents are actually paying more than us.
All factors considered, when accounting for as many contractual differences as possible, it is clear that while the town of Tolland pays less for trash removal, it passes on an increased expense to its residents. Perhaps more concerning, though, is that Mr. Foster did not bother to do thorough research before making shocking claims to the constituents of Ellington. Furthermore, the inaccuracy of his trash removal claim has been brought to his attention numerous times before, yet he continues to spread half-truths and misinformation. Citations for my data and information available upon request!
Jack Turner, incumbent for Board of Selectmen:
I have heard that there are some folks who want to “paint the Town of Ellington” blue. It appears that they are willing to go to extremes to get your vote. I would propose that we paint the Town of Ellington; Red, White and Blue. Red, White and Blue, in recognition of all those that came before us and those that are serving today to protect the values we hold so dear to our community; freedom, friends, family and service to our community and others. In recognition of all those that came before us to volunteer and serve on boards, commissions and agencies that guided Ellington through both the difficult and prosperous times. While Ellington has grown considerably over the years that I have lived here, it still holds true to the values that have been the character and strength of the community. There is no reason what so ever that we need to be divisive over the management of our community. For those that sit in the seats of boards and commissions there is only one goal, govern in the best interest of the community and the citizens, not colors or agendas.
In an effort to clear up any misunderstanding regarding the trash hauler contract with All- American Waste, please read the following notice:
In 2008, the Town of Ellington bid the trash and recycling collection and awarded the bid to All –American Waste, LLC. Within the original contract was the option to renew for an additional 5 year extension in 2013. This was agreed upon to assist with the change in how the collection was done. This change consisted of supplying 96-gallon tipper barrels to each household, one for trash and one for recycling. Also included in this bid was the collection of condominiums and the collection of oversized household waste by appointment at no cost to the residents.
In 2013, the extension of the bid was approved by all members of the Board of Selectman and would extend the current bid to 2018 with CPI increases each year. During the past year, All-American approached the Town to offer an extension of the current bid with no increase in the cost of collection for three years, or until 2020, and an additional two years at CPI increases. This in turn secured the cost of collection and would allow the Board of Selectman and Finance to know that the cost of trash and recycling (along with the free by-appointment bulky waste collection) would be stable until 2020; this would help with the overall financial impact to the residents of Ellington.
The one factor that every town in Connecticut cannot control fully is the cost of disposal. The Town of Ellington has contracted with MIRA, formally CRRA, in Hartford to accept the Town’s trash and recycling. This contract is what is known as Tier One, Long Term Municipal Solid Waste Management Services Agreement; signing this in November of 2012 guaranteed that the Town of Ellington would be able to send household trash and recycling to Hartford. By signing on to the Tier 1 level, the Town received a discount in the tipping fee and continues to dispose of waste at a reduced rate compared to communities that did not sign on for the Tier 1 Level. The tipping fee in 2012 was $62.50 per ton and currently is $68.00 per ton delivered to MIRA. There is no charge for our recyclables. The cost of disposal is directly related to where the contractor has to deliver the waste; the Town of Ellington’s contractor must go to Hartford, while some of our surrounding communities require their contractor to go to either West Springfield, MA or Preston, CT. This cost to haul is a cost to the contractor. Currently, the Town of Ellington receives a $10.00 rebate per ton by signing on with MIRA, which equals more savings for our residents.
I strongly believe the actions taken by the Boards of Selectman and Finance have and continue to keep taxes in check via the stabilization of both the collection and disposal of our household waste and recycling.
Deanna Wambolt – Gulick:
Democratic candidate for First Selectman, Mr. Aaron Foster, has been making some very misleading claims as part of his campaign here in Ellington. One such claim refers to Ellington’s town spending on trash removal. Mr. Foster claims that in an “apple to apple comparison” with Tolland, Ellington overpays for trash removal by $220,000. That is obviously an eye-popping number. Mr. Foster continues to explain that Ellington’s overpayment translates to residents paying $14.91 per household per month, while Tolland residents pay just $12.55 per household per month.
However, Mr. Foster’s claim is inherently flawed because there is no direct comparison between the two trash contracts. Each contract offers a different level of service for residents. In Ellington, we have weekly trash pick-up, biweekly recycling, and year round bulky waste removal at no extra charge. Tolland residents aren’t so lucky; according to their town’s website Tolland’s contract outlines weekly trash removal and biweekly recycling, but bulky waste removal is only sponsored by the town of Tolland for one week in October. Any other time a Tolland resident requires bulky waste removal, they must pay $32 per pick up “charged by the vendor.” So this $32 fee is outside of the contract, not paid for by Tolland, and not reimbursing Tolland for anything. Therefore, by Mr. Foster’s own admission, this fee is not included in his calculations since he compared only “contract to contract” costs in his formula.
Thus, if we consider the burden of paying for bulky waste removal into his formula, Mr. Foster’s claim that Ellington residents overpay disappears. If a Tolland household used bulky waste removal just once a year, not during October, their per household spending would rise from $12.55 per month to $15.22 per month. Compared to Ellington’s $14.91 per household per month, it becomes clear that Tolland residents are actually paying more than us.
All factors considered, when accounting for as many contractual differences as possible, it is clear that while the town of Tolland pays less for trash removal, it passes on an increased expense to its residents. Perhaps more concerning, though, is that Mr. Foster did not bother to do thorough research before making shocking claims to the constituents of Ellington. Furthermore, the inaccuracy of his trash removal claim has been brought to his attention numerous times before, yet he continues to spread half-truths and misinformation. Citations for my data and information available upon request!
Jack Turner, incumbent for Board of Selectmen:
I have heard that there are some folks who want to “paint the Town of Ellington” blue. It appears that they are willing to go to extremes to get your vote. I would propose that we paint the Town of Ellington; Red, White and Blue. Red, White and Blue, in recognition of all those that came before us and those that are serving today to protect the values we hold so dear to our community; freedom, friends, family and service to our community and others. In recognition of all those that came before us to volunteer and serve on boards, commissions and agencies that guided Ellington through both the difficult and prosperous times. While Ellington has grown considerably over the years that I have lived here, it still holds true to the values that have been the character and strength of the community. There is no reason what so ever that we need to be divisive over the management of our community. For those that sit in the seats of boards and commissions there is only one goal, govern in the best interest of the community and the citizens, not colors or agendas.
