Post-MOSA

Our County Board heard recently from Hans Arnold of Gerhart LLC, regarding options for solid non-recyclable waste after our relationship with MOSA ends. Options were considered and, it appears, investigated with some diligence. According to the minutes of the last Board meeting,

Mr. Arnold recommended the public-private partnership as providing the lowest cost to homeowners and haulers, and an O&M [operation and maintenance] savings to the County. He stated that this option minimizes environmental liability, insures an even playing field for all haulers, stabilizes costs over time, and coordinates a county-wide program.

One would assume that the other option, turning the whole operation over to the private sector, would not provide these benefits: in other words, in private hands, household disposal costs would rise (and perhaps make it unaffordable for some), smaller haulers might be forced out of business, etc.

The partnership option is the most complex, but it could prove interesting. I work part-time at Hyde Hall, a huge old stone historic mansion within Glimmerglass State Park at the head of Otsego Lake. The Hall is owned by the State but run by a private company, Hyde Hall, Inc., and this collaboration has been effective for forty years or more. It works well, as far as I can see, with each partner doing the part that it does best.

It's important that we are able to dispose of our trash in a responsible manner, and that everyone in the County has an affordable disposal option. Mr. Arnold indicated that the private-public partnership is the way to achieve this, and it makes sense. The market has a place in this process, but so does government; not only do we need to run an efficient and competitive operation, we also need to make sure no one gets left out (including the environment). And so, when the Home Rule issue is clarified, I'd certainly like to see the Board begin to outline a plan of action, and maybe begin thinking about how this kind of partnership can operate effectively in other areas.