Township, Union to Discuss Sanitation Decision

Township officials will soon meet with union representatives to discuss the future of Moorestown sanitation.

The township received bids from several private trash haulers back in November and, after crunching the numbers and assembling various options—with the help of consulting firm TrashPro—it has a number of cost-saving scenarios to consider, according to township manager Scott Carew, though he declined to provide specific numbers.

However, Carew said he, along with Deputy Mayor Chris Chiacchio and Councilman Greg Newcomer, would meet with members of the Communication Workers of America (CWA) Local 1036—which represents Moorestown’s sanitation workers—sometime before or shortly after the new year before any public discussion takes place.

CWA president Adam Liebtag said the dialogue between the township and the union has improved since a somewhat contentious exchange with township officials at an October council meeting.

Liebtag reiterated the township’s decision should be based on quality— “the proven track of Moorestown Township employees providing excellent service”—above all else.

“Our interest and—based on the feedback we got—the interest of residents is to keep the high-quality service,” he said.

Nearby municipalities that recently made the switch to privatized sanitation say, however, that there has been no noticeable drop-off in quality.

Mount Laurel township manager Maureen Mitchell said virtually nothing has changed since the township began outsourcing to Republic Services in May; they kept the same routes, the same collection days, and have placed no restrictions on pickup—nor did the township have to lay off any employees. Several were slotted into other roles within Public Works, and two were hired by the township Municipal Utilities Authority.

And with a total savings of more than $1 million over the life of its three-year contract with Republic, the township is very pleased with the decision.

“Municipal government isn’t meant to be in the trash collection business,” said Mitchell, citing the higher salaries and worker’s compensation associated with municipal sanitation vs. private.

Burlington Township outsourced a few years ago as well, said township administrator Walter Corter. "The funds weren't there and we had to cut back our workforce. All the departments were affected."

In Burlington's case, all the trash personnel were laid off, he said. "It's hard, because it's like a family there ... But when it comes down to it, it's a business to run."

Though he was unable to provide specific numbers, Corter said the township's sanitation costs are "substantially" lower following outsourcing, and they've had very few complaints about the service.

"I'd be the first one to tell you if we weren't happy with it," said Corter, who claimed a number of residents, who initially opposed outsourcing, have come forward since and said they're happy with the service.

Carew said besides Moorestown, the only other municipality in the area that provides in-house trash pickup—that he’s aware of—is Evesham. TrashPro President Robb Willis made the same statement to Patch in an interview this fall.

Medford switched to privatized sanitation at the beginning of 2013 and, according to township manager Chris Schultz, expects to save approximately $1.5 million over the next five years.

Schultz, who previously served as township manager in Moorestown, said some cutbacks had to be made: a few workers were laid off—though some were brought back to the Public Works department in some other capacity—and certain items are restricted from bulk pickup.

But otherwise, after a “a few bumps in the road” during the first few months of transition, the township hasn’t had any issues, according to Schultz.

He said his biggest concern is with the overall loss of Public Works manpower and its impact on other services.

“If we get walloped with a snowstorm, it might take us a little bit longer (to plow),” Schultz said. “You just don’t have the bodies for it anymore.”

As Public Works employees, Moorestown’s sanitation workers also wear more than one hat—assisting with plowing and other services—and those opposed to the idea of outsourcing cite the potential loss of those extra hands as a major knock against privatizing.

“There are plenty of examples when a municipality has privatized a service and ended up regretting it,” said Liebtag. “There can be cost increases within a couple years, or other additional costs that weren’t factored into the bid spec.”

It’s unclear how many—if any—township employees could be laid off if Moorestown outsources sanitation, or if any would be rehired by a private firm.