Community Corner

Council Members Laud Bipartisan Trash Decision

Following 'many sleepless nights,' Moorestown Township Council OK'd agreements Monday to outsource sanitation and avoid layoffs.

To the editor:

On Monday, Moorestown Township Council Republicans voted unanimously, along with Democratic Councilman Greg Newcomer to privatize sanitation in town, saving taxpayers more than $2.1 million. Council then went one step further and reinvested a portion of the savings back into the municipal workforce to ensure our town's assets are well-maintained moving forward. They accomplished this without laying off a single employee. This reorganization of the Department of Public Works (DPW) should produce a net savings in excess of $1.5 million for our town over the next three years.

“After months of careful deliberation and negotiation, the members of council were able to pass a resolution that not only saved money through privatizing trash collection, but did so without the loss of a single township employee,” Mayor Chris Chiacchio said following the meeting. “I am proud of my fellow council members for putting the taxpayers first in a bipartisan fashion, and look forward to working on other ways we can make the services of our township more cost-efficient without sacrificing the quality of services we enjoy.”

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“I commend our township employees, as well as the leadership of the Communication Workers of America Local 1036, for the hard work they put into making tonight’s action a reality,” Deputy Mayor Stacey Jordan added. “After many sleepless nights, I am glad we were all able to come to a final agreement that allows us to keep our hardworking DPW employees serving our community, keeps the service to residents strong, and reduces the overall cost to the taxpayers for trash removal in our township.”

Councilman Phil Garwood echoed his fellow council members: “Making a decision that impacts people’s livelihood is never easy, but we have shown with this decision that it’s possible to move in a direction of greater fiscal responsibility and better services to our residents with no real downside. I am proud we were able to work across party lines to do what is best for the citizens we were elected to represent.”

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“Issues that can save our town funds without impacting the jobs of individuals who are a part of our community are not Republican or Democrat issues; they are common sense issues,” Councilwoman Victoria Napolitano said. “This decision proves that when it comes to matters of doing what is best for the people of Moorestown, this council is willing to lead the charge to get the job done.”

Moorestown Council Republicans

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