Home > Gwinnett > Rick Badie / My Opinion > Archives > 2008 > September > 29 > Entry
Homeowners stung by fee
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Some Gwinnett residents will have to pay to close accounts with their garbage hauler.
On Monday, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that Allied Waste Services is assessing its customers a $23.50 fee to close out their accounts before Jan. 1. That’s when the county will switch to a mandatory system in which the government selects garbage haulers for residents.
Allied Waste Services has said the fee is necessary to help account for the $1 million it will take to store and collect waste containers that the company had previously distributed to its customers.
The county can’t do a thing to stop the fee. Gwinnett County is moving to a mandatory, county administered trash-hauling system to curb dumping. They think their way will be cheaper for residents, too.
We shall see.
What do you think about customers of Allied Waste Services being saddled with a $23.50 fee?
Do you think a county-run, trash-hauling system will be better, cheaper and cleaner for Gwinnett?
Permalink | Comments (13) | Post your comment | Categories: Rick Badie
Comments
By BW
September 29, 2008 11:27 PM | Link to this
Just another dictate put forth by our commissioners that wasn’t planned out well. I can understand Allied Waste Services position, they have to retrieve their property and either store it or move it into the new area the county commissioners picked for them.
As far as the county taking it over, well they’re looking for places to cut due to the decrease in tax revenues and the cost of the stadium they decided we need, they can’t keep a bus system running, the last thing we need is county-run trash hauler.
I hope the commissioners don’t make too many more decisions on what we really want or choose who we want as a trash hauler, we’re going broke.
Who gets the contract to pick-up the garbage left around after the commissioners meetings will be a very rich person.
By Sloan
September 30, 2008 12:15 AM | Link to this
It’s only $23.50. That’s a pizza. A 1/4 tank of gas. Way cheaper than taking the family to the movies. It is so inexpensive in todays world. Just pay the fee and be done with it. I’m guessing it’s not something they just now tacked on. They’ve probably always had it to account for them collecting their property. Don’t be a cheapskate, they are in a worse scenario than you since look at all the customers they are being forced to lose.
I’m guessing you don’t tip much at restaurants either?
By Michael H. Smith
September 30, 2008 2:11 AM | Link to this
Homeowners stung by fee?
Not this homeowner.
C’mon Rick, this is whining over chump-change. You are talking about the kid’s bubble-gum money here. What really surprises me more than you taking on a non-issue issue is the local DemocRATS who cry about a Republican domination of everything missing the opportunity of a political operative’s lifetime. I’m going to tell you Dems, you don’t deserve to win anything.
Does every Gwinnett County department head need a car?
No! Bet this one cost homeowners more than that one-time $23.50 in chump-change fee.
If the county comes up with alot of areas they can cut the budget, especially if they can find $35 million, then fellow homeowners the question begs the answer, why was the county ever wastefully spending that amount of our tax money in the first place?
The county should demonstrate to the taxpayers an “aggressively lean budget” in all economic times as though under the siege of economic adversity everyday, Mr. Connell.
Now take me out to the ballgame, here Rick is the story that stings!
Gwinnett studies ‘aggressive’ budget cuts
By MICHAEL PEARSON The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Does every Gwinnett County department head need a car? Would it be better to lease vehicles instead of buying them? And why does the county have multiple warehouses when one might be cheaper?
These are among the hundreds of questions nine Gwinnett County employee task forces will seek to answer over the next 100 days in an urgent effort to cut costs and increase revenues as the county settles in for what its leaders believe will be a long economic siege.
“We need to demonstrate to our citizens that we are doing everything we possibly can,” County Administrator Jock Connell said Wednesday after announcing the initiative.
The groups will seek to find $35 million in reduced expenses or increased revenues, and should make their recommendations by November, in time to be included in the 2009 budget.
“There will be some aggressive recommendations,” Deputy County Administrator Michael Comer predicted
The $35 million figure roughly matches the amount of money county officials have budgeted to spend from the county’s reserve fund this year due to stagnant or declining revenues and rising costs.
By BW
September 30, 2008 9:11 AM | Link to this
DemocRATS? I love mature discussions, the commentor was disingenuous with the slam knowing full well the devil himself would win Gwinnett if he only registered Republican.
By Stan
September 30, 2008 9:25 AM | Link to this
I think this is classic politicians causing a problem, then while ignoring that they broke it, promising to fix it.
I thought this was a bad idea to start with and I still do.
Stan
By Michael H. Smith
September 30, 2008 11:10 AM | Link to this
It’s just those ol’ tax, borrow and spend CC RepubliCONS picking on good liberal tight-fist Democrats that have never dominated anything since reconstruction in this state?
Yeah right!
Put a Pro-life, Pro-gun, Pro-traditional family, Pro- law enforcement anti-illegal immigration, genuine fiscal conservative, real progressive populist Democrat on the ticket and you got a Republican incumbent taking early political retirement.
Oops…. Almost forgot a Pro-life, Pro-gun, Pro-traditional family, Pro- law enforcement anti-illegal immigration, genuine fiscal conservative, real progressive populist couldn’t be a Democrat.
Then again, as it begins to appear that couldn’t be a Republican anymore either.
By Michael H. Smith
September 30, 2008 12:13 PM | Link to this
The genuine truth.
The immature whiners know it is their “disingenuous agenda” that the voters reject and that is what slams them to defeat. Even though it was once said in this state (for over 100 years) you could put dog on the ballot so long as the tags read Democrat the dog would win.
Unfortunately the RepubliCONS are going down the same slippery slope the DemocRATS have paved.
By Thank you sir, may I have another
September 30, 2008 1:00 PM | Link to this
Looks to be a last-gasp windfall for Allied. I wonder if the county will select Allied as my hauler so they can charge me $20 to pick up my containers and then turn around and drop them back off to me.
By Don S
September 30, 2008 6:13 PM | Link to this
This fee will not be charged unless you cancel prior to Jan. 1 as I read it. The solution to the problem is to keep Allied until Jan.1 then you will nor pay the fee.
Yes, I disagree with the coutny hadling the contract and doing away with free enterprise.
THis is another county way to get more tax revenue. I cn not wait to see what the “service fee” is for handlinghtis billing.
I wonder what district the stadium trash collection will be in? Nasuti’s of course!
By Stan
October 1, 2008 10:51 AM | Link to this
Hey Rick, I thought this blog was going to be updated daily??? Everything ok with you?
By Badie
October 1, 2008 3:42 PM | Link to this
Hey Stan. I’m fine. Will a subject for discussion later today.
By FinanceBuzz
October 3, 2008 11:22 PM | Link to this
I am the person quoted in the article and I agree that $23.50 is chump change. It is not about the money, it is about the principle and that is why I made the comment I did to Mr. Pearson and have blogged about it at my blog, Gwinnett Buzz. I have had no problem choosing a garbage hauler and did not need Charles Bannister and company doing so for me. The system was not broken but the commission decided to fix it.
Even if I agree with the socialized garbage program, the assessment of this charge is inappropriately placed. The need for this cost (a legitimate cost) was triggered by the socialized garbage program. Thus, build that into your cost structure when calculating your bid for this program. I did not choose to dump Allied Waste as I am satisfied with their service. I should not get a nearly 50% price increase that Charles Bannister and company caused. As for the it not being charged if you do or don’t stay, my bill was increased by $23.50 for the fourth quarter and is scheduled to be auto-billed to my credit card shortly. This is not a “maybe” charge - it is real.
By Jerry
October 10, 2008 3:39 PM | Link to this
It doesn’t matter what the fee is it’s wrong. Allied knows the consumer has no choice. Who’s going to go to another provider with 3 months left. The new company will charge you a fee to bring you the cans anyway. I just talked to them and they said they would refund the money if they got the business in my area…sure! They are also charging more for gas cost for the last three months just as the price of gas is going down. They should end up with a nice windfall from all this.
Simple purchasing logic was used to make the decision about the new method the county will be using. If you think about it, this will provide much more leverage to reduce the cost of the service. If the hauler is guaranteed every house in an area it should lower their cost. They will use less fuel since they don’t have as far to drive between customers. They are competing against several other companies and will have to lower their cost to win. If everyone has a choice their cost goes up and you won’t get a great deal from anyone. The real issue is whether the county can handle the issues that are sure to come up with quality and performance problems.