January 23, 2009
About 500 residents owe $56,000; some not paying in protest of new fee
By SETH AUGENSTEIN
SPARTA - The solid waste utility that was the talk of the town early last year - and also its single-biggest divider in years - still might be a sore point for some opponents.
About 500 people have not paid at least part of their garbage bill, and more than 150 have not paid the three quarterly $60 payments, or $180, they’ve accumulated since the garbage utility took effect in April, according to a list released by the tax collector Tuesday.
That’s about 8 percent of the approximately 6,500 homes on the Blue Diamond trash route delinquent in their payments - and a total of $56,000 that's owed the township for the service.
Jesse Wolosky, the opposition leader who organized petition drives bringing about the referendum on the garbage issue last March, has not paid his bill,and speculates many of the other 150 who have refused to pay anything are doing so out of protest. He, and many other initial opponents, con-cede the service is efficient and affordable - but Wolosky maintains homeowners still should have a choice as to whether they want it in the first place.
“Blue Diamond is providing a good service . . . but I still believe there should be a choice,” Wolosky said.
Harold Shane, one of the members of the initial “No on Garbage” opposition group that rallied about a year ago, said he was one of many who still are irritated by everything about the utility. He resolves not to pay his bill for as long as he can.
“It’s 100 percent protest,” Shane said. “There’s a lot of unrest in this town.”
The choice of whether to pay the money is going to be made for some people soon, however. The township tax collector’s office tentatively is planning the next tax lien sale for June. This is earlier than normal for Sparta - and could mean residents will have to pay their various local utility bills to avoid having a lien put on their properties.
Township Manager Henry Underhill said the usual tax collection rate in Sparta is about 98 percent, as opposed to the current 92 percent rate for garbage. Underhill said the township's finances would not be affected by the non-payment of the garbage utility; the manager said he was confident residents eventually would pay their bills, and even a protest eventually would result in the township’s service continuing unabated.
“There’s no way they want a lien on their property for $60,” Underhill said.
Wolosky said he would pay the money he owes before the tax lien sale is scheduled, and urges other disappointed homeowners to do the same - and avoid losing money on various, inevitable lien fees.
There may be steadfast holdouts, however. Jacqueline Kroschell is a professional singer who lives most of the time in New York City, but who owns a home in Sparta. She said she is a law-abiding citizen who nonetheless will protest the bill.
“I do not believe in not paying bills, but this is a needless, prohibitive tax,” Kroschell said. “I will never pay this . . . I will never pay them a dime.”
Shane agreed.
“They’re going to have to go after me,” he said.
