Something Stinks About This Gilmer County Garbage Deal

On Thursday, the Gilmer County Commissioners held a town hall meeting concerning household garbage disposal. Seems all the citizens are upset about the idea the county is going to start charging for trash disposal and are wondering how the county is implementing the charge.So you would think it would be standing room only. Not at all — plenty of empty seats in the room. Why? Could it be the meeting was from 1 to 4 p.m.? Common sense would tell you that the citizens who still have jobs in this economy — the ones paying the county bills – wouldn’t be present. Hmmmm…

So how did the afternoon town hall meeting with light attendance by taxpayers end up? Into a resolution, voted on unanimously by the commissioners, allowing them to charge an additional fee (raise your taxes) to discard your household trash.

At the town hall, workshop and commissioner meetings, all commissioners at different times expressed that the county could not continue to let the citizens throw their trash out for “FREE.” Gentlemen– it was not free. Gilmer County has always built into the tax millage rate a portion for household trash. Also at these meetings, all commissioners at different times, several times, continued to say the county needs income now.

Gilmer County citizens should ask: If we are charged a yearly fee to dump our trash (tax increase), in which fund areas will the money be allocated? Ask, too: if 15,000 citizens walk in the court house and pay $100 each, that would be $1.5 million. Will the commissioners spend that money only on trash, or will some of the money find its way on to the ball fields for lights? Is this amount the short fall on the contract due Advance Disposal? Can they use it and put I.O.U’s in the fund?

Don’t forget, citizens, this will become residual income for the county. And let’s hope no one gets an idea and says, “let’s use the funds for now. We will pay it back. And don’t forget we are getting another $1.5 million next year. Or, if you just go up $10 — to $110 per citizen — that will bring in $1.65 million. This could help pay for the short fall.

Gilmer citizens need to push back on this tax increase and not accept it.