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Privatize the city landfill?
GARY HUFFENBERGER Wilmington News Journal
Privatizing city services wherever possible — shifting a service from public to private ownership and control — is a cost-cutting idea the mayor of Wilmington says he can endorse, at least in principle.
When Wilmington Mayor Randy Riley spoke Thursday at a city council work session on the budget, he made note of input given by residents earlier this year at a town hall meeting that focused on the city’s financial situation. With many of the ideas and suggestions offered by residents, Riley gave his thoughts about the practicality and budget impact.
“There is a possibility of privatizing just about anything the city does. You can privatize transit, you can privatize sanitation, waste water treatment, water department — you can privatize just about anything we do,” Riley said. “But you really lose control of service and cost when you go that route.”
Near the top of the list of city services that may be privatized is operations at the city-owned landfill off South Nelson Avenue.
“We are looking at opportunities of getting out of businesses (service areas) that are being run by the private sector quite successfully,” the mayor said.
Among those service areas are the landfill operations.
According to Riley, the Rumpkes and the Waste Managements of the business world are doing pretty well making a profit doing, what on the other hand, it costs the city to do.
“Most of our (Wilmington Sanitation Department’s) costs come out of our landfill, whereas we are actually making a few bucks out of (Wilmington Sanitation Department’s) trash pickup,” said Riley.
Another budget-conscious possibility would be to sell the landfill, which is projected to sell for millions of dollars, city officials said Thursday.
Another city council work session is scheduled for 7 p.m. Thursday, May 10 in council chambers at Wilmington City Hall.
Featured Stories
What: Career and Job Fair
When: Today, April 11th
Where: 1850 Davids Drive, Wilmington, OH 45177 (Southern State CC)
Companies Include:
Old Navy
Southwest Regional Medical Center
White House | Black Market
Premier Services
Pitstick Farms
Clinton County Community Action
Western Southern Life
Kroger
Lowes
Valero Fuel
Reliable Transportation Solutions
OH Ddept. of Job and Family Services
Sketchers USA
US Army
Brooks Brothers
Come and explore your career opportunities and take employment seminars in interviewing and resume building. Door prizes also included!
Faculty Member
For some eight years the Isaac Harvey Fund has assisted Wilmington College students and faculty in traveling abroad and within the US on trips related to the concerns of Quakers – peace and social justice. Participants do not need to be Quaker and the money with which we assist students will cover only part of the expenses. (It always depends on how much money we are able to raise.) We have literally assisted hundreds of students and several faculty, most of them going to the annual Lobby Weekend in Washington, DC. Elsewhere in the US we have sent them to Philadelphia, PA, Kansas, a chapter of the Navajo Nation in New Mexico , etc. Internationally, they have gone to North Ireland, Peru, Nicaragua, Palestine and Israel, Japan, and Switzerland. We are again looking for students who might be interested in such experiences. The attached photo is of two students who spend two months last summer volunteering in Peru.
Most, but not all of the trips, occur during the summer months. I am currently talking with students who intend to go to North Ireland, Philadelphia and Switzerland this coming summer. The duration of the trips vary from a week to two or more months and a very few that could last for a full academic year. (A student who went to North Ireland for about six weeks last summer wanted to stay for the remainder of the year, but her visa would not permit that.) It would be possible to receive credit for these activities, but that depends on finding a faculty member willing to work with you. Those going overseas would have to purchase an international passport.
The destinations mentioned above are not the only possible ones. There are several opportunities in Africa (Kenya, Burundi, Uganda, and Rwanda). Also, several in Latin America, most of which require fluency in Spanish (Bolivia and Mexico). We are open to opportunities in other locations, but they must fit our focus which is peace and social justice. Most of these locations and programs have web sites which I would gladly share with you. You can contact me at neil_snarr@wilmington.edu or at Pyle Center #1213. Michael Snarr, Ruth Dobyns, and Dan Kastelan are also on the Isaac Harvey Committee and can answer some of your questions.
