To the Editor:
Mr. Blank’s letter to the Editor requested the math supporting my conclusion that allowing opting out of garbage collection probably would not pose a financial problem for the town. The following was included in my original letter but deleted by the editor. Suppose that as many as 20 percent of the 6,500 residents opt out and it costs them $100 to dispose of their own trash. Also suppose that the hauler’s marginal cost for providing service to the 20 percent is $115 and that he would agree to a reduction of his $1.5 million fee of $115 for each opt-out residence. To make up for lost revenues due to the opt-outs the town would have to raise its rate for the remaining 80 percent to ((6500 x $235) - (1300 x $115)) / 5200 = $265. The total yearly cost for the plan with opt-outs would then be 5200 x $265 + 1300 x $100 = $1.51 million; slightly less than the cost of 6500 x $235 = $1.53 million for the no-opt-out plan.
However, the main thrust of my letter to the Council and the Editor was to urge our Council to make widely available their rationale and analyses that lead them to a no opt-out plan. These data are conspicuously absent in the Town’s debate.
James Root,
