At the previous Starkville Board of Alderman meeting, a proposal was presented by Ward 3 Alderman Eric Parker to simply investigate the possible cost savings for the city by moving from the current method of garbage collection using the black trash bags to a wheeled bin. His preliminary research discovered there is the possibility of $600,000 in cost savings by making this move.
The board did not have the will to even investigate this possibility of wheeled bins.
In a time when the city is looking everywhere to save money, how can we not even entertain the thought of investigating this idea? Ward 6 Alderman Roy Perkins was probably the most vocal member during the recent budget discussions stating that he couldn”t understand why the city was continuing to fund certain programs when we just didn”t have the money. So, having been so concerned over the budget only a couple months ago, how can he possibly be against researching a way to save the city money?
And surprisingly missing from the whole discussion is the tea party. Where is the outcry from the group that is the watchdog for irresponsible government spending? I would have expected the tea party to show up in force in support of a measure that could cut a significant portion of the city”s budget but it appears they were either not aware of this proposal or chose not to support it because they like the current method better.
If government spending is truly a priority for the tea party, then this is your time to stand up and do something about it. If you chose not to argue for researching this proposal because you like the current method, then there is only one word for you: hypocrite.
Mark Duncan
Starkville
Editor”s note: The writer unsuccessfully ran for the Ward 1 Alderman spot in 2009.
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
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