Council trashes plan for privatizing service
Hundreds of residents turn out to oppose garbage proposal
BY MICHAEL ACKER Staff Writer
South River officials scrapped a plan to privatize the borough's garbage service after several hundred residents voiced their opposition to it Monday.

Residents packed into the high school auditorium after word spread about a proposal to haveCentral Jersey Waste & Recycling Inc. take over the borough's sanitation service, which would reportedly result in a cost savings of $3 million. Borough Council members considered the action as part of an effort to get the 2008 municipal budget adopted by September, as the town and the state both struggle through a financial crisis.

Monday's meeting began with the attempts of the borough business administrator and mayor to explain the plan; however, they were frequently met with resounding boos and yells. The council later voted towithdrawthe plan after residents gave several hours of testimony against privatizing.

Mayor Raymond Eppinger opened the council meeting with an apology for changing the meeting's time and location. He noted that the expected large turnout required a larger venue than the criminal justice building. He said the town had to resolve the collection issue before the contract for sanitation services on the south side of town expires onMay 1.

Eppinger told the packed auditorium that the state is attempting to pressure small towns to merge with larger municipalities. When borough officials go before the state Local Finance Board to pass their budget, they will have to explain where they tried to cut spending.

"We have to get your budget approved by the state of New Jersey, and the state does not have their act together," Eppinger said.

He said the decision to consider privatizing was not made lightly.

"If anybody thinks this was done lightly, you are mistaken," Eppinger said. Business Administrator Andrew Salerno noted that the state changed the rules of budgeting and asked the borough to cut expenses this year,while cutting aid to the municipality. While the town is requesting a cap waiver from the Local Finance Board, the agencymay not approve the request, or the borough's s tax increase.

"If they say no, the issue before us is miniscule," Salerno said.

He said that the borough would receive the projected $3 million in savings over the five-year period of the contract, even if the private company were to raise prices. The cost of the service would be locked in for those five years.

Salerno addressed sanitation workers in the audience when he said the proposal was only an alternative that the council is considering in order to provide critical infrastructure improvements at several borough properties.

"It is not an opinion of the service you rendered," Salerno said.

Salerno acknowledged that there is a potential for worker displacement whenever a public-private partnership is reached, but he said that some of the borough's 11 sanitation workers would likely be allocated to other borough departments, while the others would be offered jobs by Central JerseyWaste.

The private company would be responsible for carrying on sanitation services in accordance with borough codes, Salerno said. The boroughwould not lose day-to-day control of the service and fines would be issued if the private company did not use proper decorumor complete work in a satisfactory manner.

Salerno addressed the members of the audience who shouted at him for the unpopular proposal.

"I am your borough administrator," Salerno said. "As part of my job, I have to investigate these types of issues. If I don't do it, then I'mnot doingmy job. It doesn'tmatter where I live or how far I drive…South River pays me and South River is what I am interested in.

"I would be remiss if I didn't put the option in front of them," Salerno added.

Edward Kahn, of the United ServiceWorkers Local 255 union,was one of the many people who spoke during the public portion.He challenged the validity of the cost-savings figures presented regarding privatization. He noted that if the borough went ahead with the plan, it would have to pay the sanitation workers who would be hired for other departments.

"This is all garbage," Kahn said.

"We think we can continue to do it; we knowwe can do it better,"Kahn said as the audience applauded.

He said the residents should vote on matters like this in a referendum.

"Let them decide if they want to pay a small increase in cost to keep the fine department they have now,"Kahn said.

Resident Joseph Manzo said he has been a resident for over 50 years and has never had a problem with the borough's garbage service.

"This is a service I don't want to give up,"Manzo said.

Councilman Anthony Razzano later made the motion to withdraw the proposal. Michael Trenga and John Trzeciak voted in favor of the motion, while Councilman JohnHutchison abstained and Councilwoman Suzanne Wisniewski Buffalino voted against the motion.

Razzano said later that he has seen privatization implemented by other public bodies, and that the services rendered were not as good as the community's own department.

"You get what you pay for," Razzano said. "Sometimes it's better to keep our own people than to privatize and get service that is not done as well as it should be done."