Dutchess County Resource Recovery alternatives sought

Scrutiny of the Dutchess County Resource Recovery Agency (RRA) has increased with the recent release of several reports: 1. a legislative working group report, 2. a critical review from the county comptroller and 3. a proposed Solid Waste Management Plan from the RRA suggesting how the county should manage its garbage disposal for the next 10 to 20 years. The issuance of these documents culminated in a special meeting of the Legislature on Wednesday, Sept. 13.

The comptroller’s report builds upon a litany of complaints that have been well-documented in the media. In general, the comptroller found the RRA has been given too much autonomy in its operations and finances; that it has not been capable of managing its operations efficiently; and that the county as a whole has failed to sufficiently monitor and question RRA expenditures.

Specifically, he questioned overestimated expenditures, unreported surpluses, board governance concerns and a pattern of tailoring contracts to the benefit of contractors while burdening the RRA.

While the RRA is a public authority separate from county government, the county is contractually obligated to make up the difference for operational losses at the Poughkeepsie waste-to-energy trash plant. While now recognized to be overestimated in recent years, this has amounted to an annual county contribution of $6.5 million that has been passed onto the taxpayer via property taxes.

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These issues are significant and timely. The RRA Board-produced Solid Waste Management Plan (SWMP) submitted in September for legislative approval seeks to bolster the revenue to the money-losing waste-to-energy plant on the backs of the county taxpayer.

Specifically, the SWMP seeks to implement a new garbage property tax known as a user fee and to reinstitute “flow control,†which will force garbage haulers to utilize the Poughkeepsie plant rather than the dictates of the private markets.

Flow control requires a massive expansion and construction of transfer stations throughout the county, whose cost would ultimately be borne by the taxpayer. Additionally, of the four counties in the state that use flow control, two are currently in litigation, suggesting such a policy, if adopted, would result in added litigation costs. Flow control would also lead garbage haulers to raise their rates to the consumer, adding an additional burden to taxpayers on top of the proposed garbage tax.

Garbage taxes and flow control are not the answers. Our county solid waste plan needs to take into consideration the actual needs of the county and provide for efficient and cost-effective waste disposal, not make rescuing the broken and inefficient RRA its top priority. We must reject the RRA-produced SWMP.

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The comptroller’s report recommended that the Legislature commission an independent consultant to produce a new SWMP, one that considers alternatives to merely bolstering the RRA’s finances. These alternatives must include privatization of the plant.

With financial assistance from the Dyson Foundation, the Legislature is going ahead and hiring an independent consultant to advise us of all our options. While time is short (we have until Jan. 1 to adopt a solid waste plan), it’s imperative we first be aware of all our choices.  

Michael Kelsey represents Amenia, Washington, Stanford, Pleasant Valley and Millbrook in the Dutchess County Legislature. Write him at KelseyESQ@yahoo.com.