VOTE NO on GARBAGE March 11th
The facts the Mayor of Sparta does not want you to know!
1. Township Manager Mr. Henry Underhill is a hired employee of the Township and receives a compensation package well over $215,000 a year; this information is from Mr. Underhill’s current Employment Agreement with the Township. Comprised of $150,096 annual salary, car allowance of at least $350 per month, health benefits, life insurance, pension contributions, holidays, sick days, personal days, and 20 vacation days, membership dues and travel, conservatively estimated at $65,000 per year. But nevertheless on September 27, 2007 Mr. Underhill applied for the position of City Manager in Naples, Florida, and waited for the final hiring decision on October 23, 2007, which would have had the new city manager taking the position by year-end. http://www.naplesnews.com/news/2007/sep/27/61_apply_naples_city_manager_job/ After seven years as Township Manager Mr. Underhill is still a renter in Sparta Township and does not have a vested interest in our town. HOT off THE PRESS: February 1st, 2008 Islamorada, Florida “Village Council narrowed the pool of 24 semifinalists down to five to be interviewed for the village manager position.” Mr. Underhill will be interviewing for the job the third week in February. Someone is trying to leave in a hurry. http://www.keynoter.com/articles/2008/02/02/news/news06.txt
2. Over two years ago after September 7th, 2005 when the “Uniform Bid Specifications on Solid Waste” from Waste Management was bid on, and introduced to the Council Members, the Township Manager Mr. Underhill was directed by the former Mayor and past Council Members not to pursue a garbage contract without an opt out clause. This information is from the minutes of the Council meetings in 2005. He completely ignored this request and conveniently welcomed a new Mayor and two new Councilmen and sold them the idea that a Mandatory Garbage Utility was a great thing. Bid Specifications were received by October 2nd, 2007 only by Waste Management and Blue Diamond.
3. Under New Jersey Law, Title 40A:1-1 “Definitions” states that any municipality in creating a utility may: “receive fees, rents or other charges.” This is evident with the current water utility bill that we are being charged a service fee to maintain the water utility. If you have a ¾ inch water line meter, you are paying .24 cents per day or $89.22 per year in Service Charges. If you have a newer home and have a 1-inch water line meter, you are paying .67cents per day or $244.55 per year in Service Charges. This information is from the Sparta Township water utility. As far as the garbage utility is concerned, according to the Township notice of 12/20/2007 on page 1, “a quarterly payment structure is being considered for the garbage utility.” Even if the current administration chooses not to apply service charges today, New Jersey Law will allow the current or the future administrator to add “fees and other charges” when ever they choose to do so; without your approval.
4. The following information is from OPRA requests from the Township Clerk of e-mails between Mr. Underhill and the Council Members on November 27th 2007. “We would anticipate evaluating a pay as you throw system for the next contract bid in 3 years. This would allow the system to vary costs based on amount of weight disposed rather an across the board fee.” And “This final version will pour gasoline on the fire. Almost all of your explanation is value-added. Stick to the facts! You simply have to state the intent of the bid, the bid responses, a comparison with the previous bid and the fact that the Statute require the bid be awarded by the Governing Body within 60 days unless (1) it is rejected, (2) by mutual consent between the Owner and Bidders the award may be held open for an agreed upon time.” And “The agenda includes a resolution to award the contract. I recommend approval of the resolution. Remaining items to discuss should the resolution be approved is the exact amount of the annual fee, a start date and number of payments per year.” And “The Township used a reverse 911 system to leave a phone message at each residence. The poll was active for approximately 6 weeks and was turned off when it appeared residents had stopped voting.”
5. The contract between Blue Diamond and Sparta Township states on page 2, article 4 under “Payment” that Sparta Township will pay in the first year $120,000 each month to Blue Diamond ($1,440,000 per year). Because the Township will be paying in advance Blue Diamond $120,000 each month and will not send out bills until the end of the quarter, Sparta will lose around $4,500 in interest income per quarter, (4X $4,500=$18,000 of lost interest income per year) at the current rate of 4.5% by withdrawing funds out of it’s “State of New Jersey Cash Management Fund Account.” (All Municipalities use this type of higher interest account). Since the contract rate increases $60,000 the second year to ($1,500,000 per year) and another $60,000 the third year to ($1,560,000 per year), this loss of interest income will grow accordingly.
6. We keep reading in the Township notice of 12/20/2007 on page 1 and in The Sparta Independent dated January 3rd, 2008 on the front page “The Fact is that residents would pay $240 a year for the next three years, no more, Mayor Spekhardt said.” By the way Spekhardt on June 13th 2006 received only 1,252 votes at the run off Election, which was 10.3 % of the total registered voters at that time. Only 10.3% voted for him. (6,000X $240=$1,440,000) Realize that in actual fact, the contract increases to $250 the second year (6,000X $250=$1,500,000) and $260 the third year (6,000X $260=$1,560,000) based on 6,000 single family residential properties and always with the potential of add-ons and gas surcharges. (Waste Management charges a 13% fuel and environmental charge). As of January 2008 Waste Management rates are as follows: (1X week =$379.14 per year and 2X week =$503.75 per year total price) As of January 2008 Blue Diamond rates are as follows: (1X week =$300.00 per year total price, no 2X week service is offered). If you would like to save $79.14 per year, on your 1X week Garbage service then contract directly with Blue Diamond and try them out, Freedom of Choice.
7. Also in the contract, page 4, article 10 under “Liquidated Damages.” “Due to the uncertainty in determining the specific damages The Township would incur as a result of the contractors failure to collect solid waste on the days and times specified by the contract, the contractor agrees to pay as liquidated damages the sum of $50 per dwelling for which it fails to collect the solid waste on the collection schedule agreed to by the parties.” This money is designated to go to The Township not to the individual who would be burdened with having to retrieve their garbage and store it until the next scheduled pick up. Under a private system, any credit for failed service would automatically go directly to the resident.
8. Less than two miles from the Sky View Golf development and the Sussex Mills development, Diamond Chip Realty, LLC mailing address P.O. Box 252, Succasunna on January 30, 2007 purchased 68 acres at 33 Demarest Rd. (Sparta Ready Mix) Block 32, Lot 12 for $1.75 million. This area is zoned industrial and affords a 900-foot frontage along the railroad tracks. Their 2007 property taxes are $25,575.00. http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=%22diamond+chip+realty%22
9. Township notice of 12/20/2007, page 2, under the section, “Why did the Sparta Township Council decide to form a Waste Utility?” they stated, “in terms of Township planning, there is a need for a Township solution if the current solid waste facility is eventually shut down.” This is more evidence that something is brewing behind the scenes. Such as a Sussex County Transfer Station and Recycling Facilities right here in Sparta.
10. Blue Diamond, in addition to the possible 6,000 future Sparta customers’, serviced in 2006 the following towns 3,041 customers in Byram, 2,100 in Green, 160 in Cliffwood Lake and 450 in Wantage this information is from the uniform bid specifications that Blue Diamond submitted to Sparta Township in October, 2007. This represents an additional 5,751 plus customers’ whose household garbage will possibly be coming to the 68-acre track of land (Sparta Ready Mix) either for sorting or storage until loading and removing via trucks or onto train service. This will create greater truck traffic within the area and diminish the air quality substantially. There is a possibility that it will be come the transfer point of all Blue Diamonds future garbage depository from Morris County and all other Sussex County Towns. At this time Diamond Chip Realty, LLC or Blue Diamond Inc. have not applied to the Solid Waste Advisory Council in Newton.
11. Grinnell Recycling Inc. at 482 Houses Corner Road, Sparta has become the first Solid Waste Transfer Station in Sussex County. Grinnell applied for its permit on October 7, 2003 and the DEP issued the permit on November 7, 2007. The Facility Type will be a Solid Waste Transfer Station/Material Recovery Facility. This information is from The State of New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, Solid & Hazardous Waste Management Program. Grinnell has a 54-acre track of land. Their 2007 property taxes are $94,425.00.
12. A Township Utility has the same consequences as Property taxes. If you are late with your payment by one day you will be charged up to 18% annually, in rare cases up to 24% annually. If you do not pay your bill by year end, your property will go to tax sale the following year and lien holders will bid at the tax lien sale to win the tax lien certificate on your property. By doing so they obtain the Same Rights as you have to pay your taxes and utility bills if you are delinquent. After a two-year period of owning the tax lien certificate, the lien holders can start the foreclosure process on your property. Some of the information is from page 5 of the Sparta Township Informational Brochure and Directory of Services. Or ask our tax collector.
13. The following is the ordinance that was passed on December 1st, 2007 advertised in the NJ Herald on December 5th, 2007 and was written on our Petition, “An Ordinance of the Township of Sparta State of New Jersey Creating a Solid Waste Utility and Setting Forth the Method of Calculation and Collection of Service Fees for Same.” As you can clearly read, the ordinance mentions “Service Fees.” When this Ordinance is put to Referendum on March 11th, 2008 and if it is passed, you will be forced to pay for it, forever, just like Property Tax. You will be voting whether you are in favor of it or against it.
14. To my fellow Sparta residents, I am a thrifty minded person. If there were any value to this garbage fiasco, I would be first in line to sign up. Look at the bigger picture. Too many things are happening behind closed doors. Something is being planed for our town’s future and if we don’t wake up by March 11th and vote NO, we will smell garbage in our back yard. If it sounds too good to be true, it most be trash. If you are against this Ordinance and want to Support the Cause, then e-mail your name, address and tel. # to noongarbage@yahoo.com to join us.
Vote NO on March 11th.
Petition Organizer, Jesse Wolosky
