Phil Jackson Distinguishes Himself at Council Meeting of July 28, 2008

The head of Carroll County Solid Waste Phil Jackson was a distinguishing presence at the Eureka Springs Council meeting of July 28, 2008. His presentation was cogent, coherent, and convincing, unlike so much of what we have heard from City Hall in the last year and a half. We wished there were more like him.

Jackson wanted a raise in garbage collection rates. In asking for the raise, he and his staff had performed a thoroughgoing analysis of what they would do to save money; for example, by

• eliminating one full time staff;
• cross-training;
• developing the district’s own facility for tire and truck maintenance;
• getting direct access to the landfill in Mountain Home, and
• studying what they might do to divert materials from the landfill to be taken closer to home.

The district would be able to save $90K, Jackson said, including $2000/month in insurance. But it still wasn’t enough.

Costs Up

Gas for the trucks, which get on average 3.1 MPG, would go up $78-80K/year, Jackson said, with an increase from $2.30/$2.50 in 2006, to $4.15/$4.45 this year– or in terms of cost per one ton of material, from $39.59 to $50.14.

Using a formula based on an increase in the Consumer Price Index (7.8% since February 2005), and including other factors, Jackson said they came up with in increase that yielded more than they needed. True, it’s an old ploy, this consideration for our pocket books even while reaching into them, but Jackson was so thorough in his analysis, so on point– and so diligent in having already taken steps to reduce costs– that we found him altogether believable.

Developing another formula that would allow for an adequate cash reserve (e.g., to replace old trucks, one of which is from 1978), Jackson and his staff came up with an increase would be minimal– from $11.35/month to $12.58, or $1.23, for residential collection.

This is one increase we believe Eureka should support.