December 13, 2007
To the Editor:
How disgraceful that our “hometown newspaper” neglected to cover the fiasco they call a ‘closed garbage system,’ that our Sparta Town Council seems to have just imposed upon its unwilling citizens!
Where were YOU this past Tuesday, when the Town Hall was sizzling with over 100 angry residents who tried to cram into the undersized meeting room to voice their objections to our town MANDATING who will pickup our garbage--when, where, and at what price we will have to pay? There wasn’t ONE WORD posted about that in your paper last Thursday! You should be ashamed of yourselves! Whose pocket are YOU in?
After two more consecutive meetings--a full SEVEN HOURS worth of residents, one after another, voicing their opposition--the Council, in all its infinite wisdom, overrode the voice of the people and passed the measure anyway!
Now summer people and week-enders will have to pay for garbage pickup twelve months a year. Those people owning more than one home will be responsible for two or more garbage bills per year (at an estimated $230-240 per year--[THE FIRST YEAR] when you include a few hundred thousand dollars extra for the town, on the side)! But those hit worst of all--our senior citizens who now bring their garbage to the dump on their own in order to save a little money--will be MANDATED to pay this fee-- whether they can afford it or not! Delinquency can lead to a lien on your property, and a possible loss of our most valuable asset--one’s home! Why should those who want garbage pickup two times a week be financed on the backs of those least able to pay? It’s an outrage, and a disgrace!
We should all remember, come voting time, that only Councilmen Murphy and Seelagy were actually listening to what our citizens were saying, and voted to reject this bid, and get another with an opt-out clause for those who want or need it! WE WANT A CHOICE!
Name Withheld
