Why would you think the County Commissioners wanted to wait until after they voted on the Gwinnett County Solid Waste Collection and Disposal Services Ordinance of 2010 to publish the ordinance? Could it be that they have realized that the lawmakers in Washington D.C. actually got it right by not being transparent? Could it be that they really do have something to hide? Could it be that they are afraid of the confrontation that would have occurred once the educated citizens of Gwinnett County read this 37 page document. Could it be all of the above? After printing out the ordinance and going through it, several things stand out; Minimum Requirements and Service Levels for the Residents of Unincorporated Gwinnett County, Fees for Service, Settling the Existing Lawsuits and Penalties.
Minimum Requirements
There are 4 pages of the ordinance that talk about the Minimum Requirements for Service Providers. Let’s see if we can figure out from these 4 pages what the Commissioner’s intent is for Minimum Requirements the residents of Gwinnett County.
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Minimum Requirements for the County |
Minimum Requirements for Residents |
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Satisfy Requirements & Qualifications |
Provide Weekly Solid Waste Collection |
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Comply with OSHA |
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Drivers must have a current CDL |
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Apply Risk Management Practices |
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Have a Solid Waste Handling Permit |
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Provide a Performance Bond |
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Have Insurance |
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Have Worker’s Compensation Insurance |
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Have Commercial General Liability Ins. |
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Have Auto Liability Insurance |
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Have Coverage for Cleanup |
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Excess Liability Ins.$5,000,000 Minimum |
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Gwinnett County to be Additional Insured |
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90 Day Ins. Cancellation Notice Provision |
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Insurance Co. Rated A-6 or Better |
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Ins Co. must be Licensed by the State |
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Certificate must reference Solid Waste Collection and Disposal Services |
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Provide Summaries of Insurance Policies |
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Provider Subcontractors to Have Same Ins |
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No work until Insurance Requirements Met |
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Wave Rights of Subrogation against Gwinnett County |
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As you can well see, the County Commissioners really had the interests of the citizens of Gwinnett County placed high on their list of priorities. Weekly Collection…WOW!
Fees For Services
Now that the ordinance has been made public, let’s look at what it says about fees. First off the fees will be collected on the tax bills with 18 months being collected on the tax bill coming out starting in the summer of 2010. The tax bill coming out in the summer of 2011 will include 12 months of trash service. Actually that makes sense. Wait a minute, no it doesn’t there is no amount for monthly trash service. Is this whole thing coming back to Gwinnett County Government looking for an additional revenue stream? As with everything else regarding Gwinnett County Government, It’s All About The Money!
Settling the Existing Lawsuits
It is old news that Gwinnett County has been served with several lawsuits regarding the previous Solid Waste Disposal Plan. The new ordinance states:
WHEREAS, the Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners has determined that, in the best interest of the residents of Gwinnett County, the legal actions referenced above should be settled; and
WHEREAS, the Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners has determined that, in connection with the settlement of the referenced legal actions, the 2008 Ordinance should be deleted in its entirety.
The question is how do the Commissioners intend to settle these lawsuits? Will the Plaintiffs be given preferential treatment in regard to the Service areas? I see nothing in the ordinance that is specific as to how the Residential Service Provider will be selected for the Residential Service Areas. Will it be via a sealed bid process or just the County assigning a particular provider (preferential treatment) to a particular area?
But Wait There Is More…Penalties
Section V A iii States that beginning 7-1-2010 each Owner of a Residential Service Unit shall Dispose of Residential Municipal Solid Waste, White Goods, Bulky Waste and or Yard Trimmings with the Residential Service Provider that has been issued a service agreement by the County for the Residential Service Area in which the Owner’s Residential Service Unit is located. What if I wanted to collect aluminum cans and then sell them myself? Damn It, I would be in violation of this ordinance. Well what would the consequences be? That would fall under Section XXIV Penalties. Any person violating any provision of this ordinance may, upon conviction, be punished by a fine not to exceed $1,000.00 for each offense and /or incarceration or community service not to exceed 60 days. Each day a violation occurs shall be considered a separate and distinct violation.
I thought the previous ordinance was stupid with its $500.00 fine. It even made national news on the Drudge Report. How stupid does this make our county commissioners look? I’m guessing it doesn’t actually do them justice.
So what do you think?
{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
are there not more haulers than the ones awarded franchises?
what about waste industries and red oak they get nothing?
they stand to lose 30 thousand customers between them.
what about the other haulers who bid it the last time they should be givin
the chance to bid again.
what about any company that wanted to bid this go around?
DIDNT the judge say the bid process was tainted and should be redone?
CITZENS OF OTHER COUNTIES AND CITIES SHOULD BE WARY IF THIS GOES THRU. WHAT OTHER THINGS COULD BE SHOVED DOWN OUR THROATS.
This morning 5-10-2010 the Robertson Waste Recycle came by and spilled one of 2 recycle containers, They are always in a hurry,and drove off.
I’d cal the customer no service folks there, but How do you make up for poor service?
I do believe knocking out competition is one step closer to socialism { In those arenas the politicians have their own agenda, and control the masses}. [Our BOC has been practicing that for future endeavors].
I picked up (now trash) recycle materials, and yet others stuff was blowing further down the road…
Have no idea if they are going to remain my hauler, but you can see what happens when they know you have no choice…
It’s getting just (like) county government. or the dept of motor vehicles. Take it or leave it.
However if you leave it you’ll still pay, with no choice of ‘vendor’
BTW, just what gives the county commissioners the right to dictate which service I use? This is just another step towards facism (government control of industry). How do we file a lawsuit against this ordinance? I will support it with my time and money.
This is a Fascism and beyond. I have never seen this kind of government expansion under Republicans. So much for Bannister’s promises about lowering taxes and my stupidity to vote for him years ago. NEVER AGAIN. They lost their minds. They have no respect for the citizens of Gwinnett. I lived before in the comunist/socialist country, but they would nerver come up with something like this.
Collecting money for the trash pickup IN ADVANCE FOR ALL 18 MONTHS (with property tax, as a part of it?) should be against law. I CANNOT BE FORCED to pay for the service I did not ask for or I do not need. My house is for sale. IT IS EMPTY. I am not renting. Nobody is producing any trash. I am carrying a Vacant insurance on my property (3x more $$ than for regular one). My wife and I have Indiana ID. I SHOULD BE ABLE TO OPT OUT. How many more people are in the same position? I cannot be forced to pay for the service NOT PROVIDED. In addition: I DO NOT WANT a trash cart on my property. The property is for sale and I do not want anything not appealing close by. Whoever leaves it on my property I shall consider it abundant property. I cannot be responsible for it as I am living 770 miles away.
There must be a provision to opt out and to be credited for trash pickup charges if the service is required.
The Blue Ribbon committee came up with a very close margin to allow at least 2 haulers per dist, We served as volunteers, and little did we know that before that committee was formed the county had already put out a RFP for yet another Study, which cost $130,000.
It seems folks put to much trust and assumption in government, which is something our founding fathers were very tentative about letting that occur.
It turns out there were too many folks on that committee already tied to county government, so in retrospect, {I wish I had made an issue of that} the entire Process was flawed. Just as the process the BOC has gone through. Politicians manipulate as well.. The Blue ribbon committee was then truly an exercise in solid waste… a distraction or shell game, deciet, perpetrated by our commissioners.
Ever notice how if you ask them a question that say all kinds of things, but rarely answer the direct question….
The county will not tell us how much the legal costs of defending their first plan have cost us,, .. ‘good money gone into the trash….
unfortunately when politicians lips move it shows they are lying.
you see that that all the way up to the ‘top dog’
A scorecard of what they actually broadcast (pre -election) should be summarized , and they made to sign it.
periodic updates need to be posted. How about a truth in electioneering law?
There are other comments on the Gwinnett county trash blog as well,
Those who favor creeping socialism will find out that if fosters a strata of elitists, that the unwary helped to build only to discover in later generations a massive level of society that turns to peasants, and have to eat cake, while the upper strata counts their riches and comforts.
Without constant verification , questioning of Government thinking, and direction, the population is nothing more than dumb masses, and there is another way that can be said, if you think about it.
Mack perhaps there is some way to post “alternate link” on the “other posting site”? for both of these realted topics. (Trash and solid Waste
Ron~Feel free to post the link in your comments.
Here is the link to the other blog article that Ron is referring to: http://www.mackperryhomes.com/new-gwinnett-county-trash-plan/