Transfer station cutbacks spark public backlash

More cuts may lie ahead

By FRITZ MAYER

SULLIVAN COUNTY, NY — At a meeting of the public works committee at the Sullivan County Government Center last week, legislator Jodi Goodman said the closure of the landfill transfer stations on Sundays was causing a hardship for some county residents. “I’ve gotten more calls about this than any other issue except casinos,” she said. She said Jewish residents, who have full-time jobs and worship on Saturday, are especially hard hit because there is now no convenient time to take their trash to transfer stations.

Robert Meyer, commissioner of public works, explained his decision to close the stations on Sunday. “I was told to cut the department budget by $1 million.” Seventy percent of the cut came from not filling vacant positions. He said another $200,000 came from cuts in the landfill operation. When the transfer stations are open on Sunday, automatic overtime costs are incurred.

He further said that cuts in the hours of operation at the transfer stations and at the landfill were instituted in consultation with local haulers to make sure that they could still service their customers.

Goodman was not satisfied and said she would like to see the “numbers crunched” on reopening the transfer stations on Sundays. “I believe in using a band aid before deciding to amputate,” she said.

Meyer responded that the situation was likely to get worse. He and other department heads are working on their 2007 budgets, and have been directed to keep their figures at 2006 levels. Therefore, any rise in costs, such as fuel and electricity, would have to be offset by personnel cuts or further cuts in service. “This is just the beginning,” he said.

The county budget was severely impacted this spring when lawmakers at the state and local levels could not agree on the passage of a sales tax increase, which county lawmakers were counting on for about $4 million in revenue.

Further complicating the transfer station is the uncertainty of the future of the landfill itself. County attorney Sam Yasgur said the continuing permitting process is proving costly. Because of conditions imposed by the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), the operation of the landfill had gone from producing a yearly $3.5 million profit to a $1 million loss. He said that by the time the permitting process is over, “it is entirely possible that there will be no transfer stations.”