What’s your plan for a long-term trash disposal solution?
Not Yvonne Johnson's $500 million plasma torch.
Not Jim Kee's crony proposal with Cico.
The overwhelming majority of news and comments on Greensboro's trash issues have been deleted from the News & Record's online archives.
The short term plan was recently put in place at a much better cost structure than before.
Long term looks like to be a regional facility.
Nancy Vaughan, the Waste Management and Recycling Task Force council liaison whose husband Don represents Cone Mills in a free White Street methane contract which has lost Greensboro millions, should step down from the task force.
Cone Mills, which is owned by billionaire Wilbur Ross, has violated the contract on multiple occasions for job retention, without any sanctions imposed, and is now expanding capacity without increasing jobs without any opposition from city council.
The White Street Landfill is the largest North Carolina landfill that doesn't have a methane sales program.
Some of the Vaughan's income is directly associated with lost revenue incurred by city taxpayers via the regulatory capture of our local government by Don and Nancy.
If Nancy is elected as mayor, I will consider it a continuation of an entrenched incumbent who has solidified an ongoing theft from Greensboro's citizens, which has cost taxpayers millions of dollars.
.
.
What will you do or have your done to pursue that?
The methane should be sold to help finance current waste operations and a regional land fill.
That nothing has occurred via Nancy and Don Vaughan's interference is a fiduciary violation of Greensboro's taxpayers.
.
.
"The fiduciary duty is a legal relationship of confidence or trust between two or more parties. One party…acts in a fiduciary capacity to another, such as one whose funds are entrusted to it. In a fiduciary relation, one person justifiably reposes confidence, good faith, reliance and trust in another whose aid, advice or protection is sought in some matter.
In such a relation, good conscience requires one to act at all times for the sole benefit and interests of another, with loyalty to those interests.
A fiduciary…must not put his personal interests before the duty, and must not profit from his position as a fiduciary, unless the principal consents.
A fiduciary cannot have a conflict of interest.
…A fiduciary must not profit from the fiduciary position.
This includes any benefits or profits which although unrelated to the fiduciary position, came about because of an opportunity that the fiduciary position afforded.
Secret commissions, or bribes also come under the no profit rule.
Conduct by a fiduciary may be deemed constructive fraud, when it is based on acts, omissions or concealments…that gives one an advantage."
Fiduciary
Wikipedia
.
.
Hello Mr. Hartzman,
Councilmembers Vaughan and Kee are the Council liaisons’ to the Solid Waste Management Commission.
Thank you,
Public Information Desk
City of Greensboro
Showing posts with label White Street Landfill. Show all posts
Showing posts with label White Street Landfill. Show all posts
7/6/13
12/30/09
On my Simkins PAC interview with Skip Alston, Earl Jones, Alma Adams, Goldie Wells and Steve Bowden
On September 22, 2009, I attended an interview at 7:15pm with the Simkins PAC.
Attendance included Skip Alston, Earl Jones, Alma Adams, Goldie Wells, Steve Bowden and Diane Munden.
When contacted by Diane Munden for the interview, I immediately disclosed I was not seeking endorsements nor taking donations from PACs, Lobbyists or Special Interest Groups, which I have written and spoken of often. Diane said they wanted to do the interview anyway, so I agreed.
It was an amazing experience.
I didn't know how many people would be in the room beforehand, and I had no idea that I was going to be meeting those attending. After introductions, I was asked why I decided to run, which was initially over fiscal budgetary problems Greensboro faces going forward.
This immediately led to an extensive discussion of whether or not to reopen the White Street Landfill, about which we vehemently disagreed. I said we may be faced with a choice of temporarily reopening the landfill or having to cut hundreds of city jobs if revenues continue to decline. A repeated response involved asking if I would like to have the landfill in my neighborhood. I responded that many if not most of those living near the landfill moved there after it opened in 1940, and that I probably would not have bought my home if I was aware of a nearby existing landfill. I also tried to make the point that if we are faced with a budgetary choice, and we decide to keep the landfill closed, the lost jobs would most likely be city services helping members of the community not unlike the socioeconomic situations of those living around the landfill.
There was some discussion amongst the interviewers of which ethnicities have always ended up with the short end of the stick when times get tough, and to a point I agreed, but I said I felt the issue of the landfill isn’t one of race, but of a fiscal and budgetary choice we may very well have to face in the near future, in which there will be only the best of unfortunate choices involved. At one point, I asked what they thought was a way to fix the budget pressures I saw coming relative to White Street, but the question was lost in the conversation.
I remember talking about how the state confiscated $800 million from Greensboro’s beer and wine tax to balance the state budget, and the raids on rainy day funds plus the stimulus money the state used this year which will not be there next year, and that more state level budget cuts will be forthcoming before the end of the fiscal year while the impact of the cuts just passed have yet to be fully felt by the state's economy.
I was then informed that time had run out, and the interview ended cordially.
All in all, I will remember my interview with the Simkin’s PAC as one of the highlights of my time in Greensboro politics.
George Hartzman
August 24, 2009 Post: If Greensboro borrows $7,420,000, plus interest, for White Street Landfill closure costs, and gasoline prices double as tax revenues fall, could City Council inadvertently sacrifice hundreds of municipal jobs by voting for what could be a politically unethical “Two Thirds Bond”?
August 3, 2009 Post: If the City of Greensboro’s average employee salary is about $50,000, and the city could not spend about $10,000,000 per year by reopening the White Street Landfill, I believe the Council may have to choose between shipping our trash to Montgomery County, or about 200 city jobs, sooner than later.
10/5/09
I believe Greensboro’s Political System is Broken IV: If gasoline prices rise as tax revenues fall, could Greensboro’s City Council inadvertently sacrifice municipal jobs by keeping White Street’s Landfill closed?
Editorial: It’s a dirty job, but …
…the council chose to avoid the most obvious…the costs and implications of reopening the White Street Landfill.
The landfill opened in 1940.
Further, some of the houses nearest the landfill weren’t built until 1990.
…the question of where garbage goes and for how much is important
and will affect the lifestyles and pocketbooks here for decades to come…
…cost is particularly pertinent given the ongoing economic downturn and tightening city budgets.
…Between July 1, 2008, and May 31 of this year, the city spent $7.67 million using the transfer station…
In terms of pure dollars and cents, maintaining and expanding the White Street facility remains the least costly option.
The council knew this all along.
A 2001 consultant’s report projected the White Street option as costing between $3.60 and $4.30 per household, versus $9.40 to $13.30 for “out-of-county disposal,” and $26 to $31 for burning and recycling,
…which option serves the greater good?
Further, there is ample room to expand in that area, mostly on land where development is sparse.
Expansion would buy time for even longer-term regional and technological solutions.
Put all of the facts on the table and revisit all of the options.
Ask everything that needs asking while there is time, especially the hardest questions.
Greensboro News and Record Editorial Board
9/26/09
If anyone knows any specifics about the White Street Landfill relative to the excerpts from the following News and Record and Rhino articles, please leave a comment or send an email.
What should be done with trash?
…A majority of the City Council asked the city staff Tuesday to create a general request for proposals [RFP] on what should be done with Greensboro’s solid waste.
The decision was prompted by a group led by businessman [and former city councilmember] Robert Mays, who came to the council last week to discuss reopening the White Street Landfill.
Mays wanted the city to start this kind of investigative process so that he could have a confidential conversation with council members about his plans.
Greensboro News and Record, September 23, 2009
Trash Talk Consumes City Council Briefing
Bob Mays, a former city councilmember…who has been doing business in Greensboro for over 30 years…asked the council at the Sept. 15 meeting to issue an RFP so they could talk to the council about their plans for the entire White Street area without having to worry about their proprietary information being used by a competitor. Mays said that the RFP process would give them the protection they needed to carry the conversation forward.
…By a show of hands the council eventually voted 6 to 1 to move ahead with the RFP process on using White Street Landfill for something.
Paul Crissman, the Solid Waste Division section chief of the North Carolina DENR in Raleigh…[said] exploring alternative technologies is fine, but right now none of them work on municipal solid waste because the waste stream, which is a fancy word for household garbage, is so diverse…He talked about various "Willy Wonka" type machines that had been purchased by landfill operations, and all had failed. He told the council that there was no silver bullet and handed out a sheet that showed how quickly landfill space used by North Carolina cities was filling up…Crissman talked about different operations he had seen and how long they lasted – most under a year. He talked about why incineration is difficult and it is the same problem – the strange, often bizarre, mix of stuff that people cram in their garbage cans or dump at the landfill.
He said that incineration can work, but it is more expensive than landfilling garbage, and he noted that Charlotte had closed and dismantled its incinerator but that Wilmington's was still in operation.
Crissman was interrupted by a long discussion by councilmembers about whether or not to issue an RFP, how long the White Street Landfill could remain open if it did go back into operation, and a host of other topics. The answer to the length of time is 5 to 7 years, if nothing changes. But the city can apply for permit modifications, which can be approved in a couple of months and could extend the life of the current cell while a new cell is permitted. Estimates are that it would take 50 to 75 years to use the White Street Landfill site to its full potential.
Rhinoceros Times, September 24, 2009
During speakers from the floor at the Greensboro City Council meeting on Tuesday night, Sept. 15, in the council chambers, the council heard a proposal for an economic development plan that centered around reopening White Street Landfill for municipal solid waste.
What made this proposal stand out were the supporters. One was Paul Gilmer from the Kings Forest neighborhood, within sight of the landfill.
…The push behind this proposal is coming from former Greensboro City Councilmember Bob Mays, who is the project manager of Cico LLC, which has been set up for this project.
Mays said that in the first year of Cico's operation of the White Street Landfill, the city would save $16 million and would save at least $5 million a year every year after that.
Currently the city is paying about $24 a ton to Republic for dumping our garbage at the Uwharrie landfill, and it costs an average of about $12 a ton to transport it down there, plus the cost of operating the transfer station.
…During the summer Mayor Yvonne Johnson scheduled a special briefing for the council to hear about using a plasma torch to transform garbage into saleable items such as precious metals, energy and jet fuel. This proposal was also given by a company organized for the White Street Landfill project. The estimated cost to the taxpayers to set up the plasma torch operation was $500 million.
Mays and Gilmer didn't ask for money, but they also didn't want to reveal their plan.
Councilmember Mike Barber, who was not at the meeting, has said that closing the White Street Landfill was the worst economic decision the City Council has ever made.
…the City Council decided not to put Cico on the next briefing agenda but on the agenda for the October briefing. The council discussed holding a special briefing to hear from Mays and Gilmer but it didn't appear the votes were there. However, this council cancels briefings and reschedules special ones at the drop of a hat, so that can't be ruled out.
Rhino Times, September 17, 2009
If anyone knows any specifics about the White Street Landfill relative to the excerpts from the following News and Record and Rhino articles, please leave a comment or send an email.
What should be done with trash?
…A majority of the City Council asked the city staff Tuesday to create a general request for proposals [RFP] on what should be done with Greensboro’s solid waste.
The decision was prompted by a group led by businessman [and former city councilmember] Robert Mays, who came to the council last week to discuss reopening the White Street Landfill.
Mays wanted the city to start this kind of investigative process so that he could have a confidential conversation with council members about his plans.
Greensboro News and Record, September 23, 2009
Trash Talk Consumes City Council Briefing
Bob Mays, a former city councilmember…who has been doing business in Greensboro for over 30 years…asked the council at the Sept. 15 meeting to issue an RFP so they could talk to the council about their plans for the entire White Street area without having to worry about their proprietary information being used by a competitor. Mays said that the RFP process would give them the protection they needed to carry the conversation forward.
…By a show of hands the council eventually voted 6 to 1 to move ahead with the RFP process on using White Street Landfill for something.
Paul Crissman, the Solid Waste Division section chief of the North Carolina DENR in Raleigh…[said] exploring alternative technologies is fine, but right now none of them work on municipal solid waste because the waste stream, which is a fancy word for household garbage, is so diverse…He talked about various "Willy Wonka" type machines that had been purchased by landfill operations, and all had failed. He told the council that there was no silver bullet and handed out a sheet that showed how quickly landfill space used by North Carolina cities was filling up…Crissman talked about different operations he had seen and how long they lasted – most under a year. He talked about why incineration is difficult and it is the same problem – the strange, often bizarre, mix of stuff that people cram in their garbage cans or dump at the landfill.
He said that incineration can work, but it is more expensive than landfilling garbage, and he noted that Charlotte had closed and dismantled its incinerator but that Wilmington's was still in operation.
Crissman was interrupted by a long discussion by councilmembers about whether or not to issue an RFP, how long the White Street Landfill could remain open if it did go back into operation, and a host of other topics. The answer to the length of time is 5 to 7 years, if nothing changes. But the city can apply for permit modifications, which can be approved in a couple of months and could extend the life of the current cell while a new cell is permitted. Estimates are that it would take 50 to 75 years to use the White Street Landfill site to its full potential.
Rhinoceros Times, September 24, 2009
During speakers from the floor at the Greensboro City Council meeting on Tuesday night, Sept. 15, in the council chambers, the council heard a proposal for an economic development plan that centered around reopening White Street Landfill for municipal solid waste.
What made this proposal stand out were the supporters. One was Paul Gilmer from the Kings Forest neighborhood, within sight of the landfill.
…The push behind this proposal is coming from former Greensboro City Councilmember Bob Mays, who is the project manager of Cico LLC, which has been set up for this project.
Mays said that in the first year of Cico's operation of the White Street Landfill, the city would save $16 million and would save at least $5 million a year every year after that.
Currently the city is paying about $24 a ton to Republic for dumping our garbage at the Uwharrie landfill, and it costs an average of about $12 a ton to transport it down there, plus the cost of operating the transfer station.
…During the summer Mayor Yvonne Johnson scheduled a special briefing for the council to hear about using a plasma torch to transform garbage into saleable items such as precious metals, energy and jet fuel. This proposal was also given by a company organized for the White Street Landfill project. The estimated cost to the taxpayers to set up the plasma torch operation was $500 million.
Mays and Gilmer didn't ask for money, but they also didn't want to reveal their plan.
Councilmember Mike Barber, who was not at the meeting, has said that closing the White Street Landfill was the worst economic decision the City Council has ever made.
…the City Council decided not to put Cico on the next briefing agenda but on the agenda for the October briefing. The council discussed holding a special briefing to hear from Mays and Gilmer but it didn't appear the votes were there. However, this council cancels briefings and reschedules special ones at the drop of a hat, so that can't be ruled out.
Rhino Times, September 17, 2009
8/24/09
Why wasn’t the “Two Thirds Bond” proposal recorded in the Minutes of the City Council meeting or briefing on July 28, 2009?
…the City Council did not make a final decision
on items to be funded from the City’s FY 09-10 two-thirds bond capacity
at its July 28th briefing.
Of the approx. $11,360,000 capacity,
we have recommended using $7,420,000 for Landfill closure costs.
The council will decide
whether to use the remaining balance of $3,940,000
and on what projects at a future date.
They are considering a variety of items
Rick Lusk
Finance Director
City of Greensboro
DRAFT
MINUTES OF THE CITY COUNCIL
OF THE
CITY OF GREENSBORO, N.C.
SPECIAL MEETING: 28 JULY 2009
Pursuant to the e-mailing of required public notices, the posting of notices on the City Council Chamber doors and the entrance to the Executive Offices, and the posting of notices on the City’s web page and Channel 13 television, the City Council of the City of Greensboro met in a Special meeting at 12:30 p.m. on the above date in the Council Chambers of the Melvin Municipal Office Building with the following members present: Mayor Yvonne J. Johnson, presiding; Councilmembers T. Dianne Bellamy-Small, Sandra Anderson Groat, Zachery Matheny, Robert V. Perkins, and Mary C. Rakestraw. Absent: Councilmembers Michael L. Barber, Trudy Wade and Goldie F. Wells. Also present were Robert Morgan, Interim City Manager; Terry Wood, City Attorney; and Elizabeth H. Richardson, City Clerk.
……….
Taking the prerogative of the Chair, Mayor Johnson stated the purpose of the meeting was to go into closed session to have discussions with the consultant for the City Manager position but that before doing so stated several of the candidates had requested that their names not be published and requested Council vote whether to keep this process confidential or not. Councilmember Bellamy-Small made a motion that we keep this process confidential throughout the entire process. The motion was seconded by Councilmember Rakestraw; the motion was adopted on the following roll call vote: Ayes: Bellamy-Small, Groat, Johnson, Matheny, Perkins and Rakestraw. Noes: one.
……….
Councilmember Perkins made a motion to adjourn to executive session to consider the qualifications, competence, character, fitness, conditions of employment of prospective City Manager applicants pursuant to NCGS Section 143-318.11(a)(1),(3) and (6) and NCGS Section 160A-168 and return to adjourn the meeting. The motion was seconded Councilmember Rakestraw; the motion was adopted by a unanimous voice vote of Council.
……….
Mayor Johnson asked Councilmember Matheny to lead the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag prior to leaving the Chamber.
……….
City Council adjourned to closed session at 12:40 p.m.
……….
City Council reconvened at 1:50 p.m. with all members in attendance except Councilmembers Barber, Bellamy-Small, Rakestraw and Wells. Councilmember Perkins moved that City Council adjourn. The motion was seconded by Councilmember Rakestraw and adopted unanimously by voice vote of Council.
……….
THE CITY COUNCIL ADJOURNED AT 1:52 P.M.
YVONNE J. JOHNSON ELIZABETH H. RICHARDSON
MAYOR CITY CLERK
**********
If Greensboro borrows $7,420,000, plus interest, for White Street Landfill closure costs, and gasoline prices double as tax revenues fall, could City Council inadvertently sacrifice hundreds of municipal jobs by voting for what could be a politically unethical “Two Thirds Bond”?
Editorial: It’s a dirty job, but …
…the council chose to avoid the most obvious…the costs and implications of reopening the White Street Landfill.
The landfill opened in 1940.
Further, some of the houses nearest the landfill weren’t built until 1990.
…the question of where garbage goes and for how much is important
and will affect the lifestyles and pocketbooks here for decades to come…
…cost is particularly pertinent given the ongoing economic downturn and tightening city budgets.
…Between July 1, 2008, and May 31 of this year, the city spent $7.67 million using the transfer station…
In terms of pure dollars and cents, maintaining and expanding the White Street facility remains the least costly option.
The council knew this all along.
A 2001 consultant’s report projected the White Street option as costing between $3.60 and $4.30 per household, versus $9.40 to $13.30 for “out-of-county disposal,” and $26 to $31 for burning and recycling,
…which option serves the greater good?
Further, there is ample room to expand in that area, mostly on land where development is sparse.
Expansion would buy time for even longer-term regional and technological solutions.
Put all of the facts on the table and revisit all of the options.
Ask everything that needs asking while there is time, especially the hardest questions.
Greensboro News and Record Editorial Board
8/23/09
If Greensboro’s City Council can spend “Two Thirds Bond” money on anything they want, should the “Two Thirds Bonds” to close White Street Landfill and other projects be considered "earmarks" less than two months before an election?
Two Thirds
Criticism of Earmarks
An earmark is an item that is inserted into a bill to direct funds to a specific project or recipient without any public hearing or review. One of the problems is that there is no transparency or accountability in the system.
…members can secure...funding for a project without subjecting it to debate…or to the scrutiny and oversight of the public.
… some members use them to secretly award their biggest campaign contributors or exchange them for bribes. The secrecy of the earmarking process invites unethical and corrupt behavior, where lobbyists and contractors and well-connected individuals give campaign contributions to legislators…
Earmarks…appear, sometimes as lists, sometimes embedded in text, in…Conference Committee reports that accompany legislation.
Earmarks are also offered to members to entice them to vote for a bill they otherwise would not vote for.
8/22/09
Can Greensboro’s City Council increase outstanding indebtedness with a non-voter approved $11,360,000 “Two-Thirds Bond” to close the White Street Landfill right after authorizing a $21,000,000 revenue bond on August 18, 2009?
On August 18th, City Council adopted a revenue bond project ordinance
in the amount of $21 million
to finance the cost of a new incinerator at the Osborne Plant.
A contact for the construction was also awarded on August 18th.
Rick Lusk
Finance Director
City of Greensboro
NORTH CAROLINA CONSTITUTION
ARTICLE V, FINANCE
Sec. 4. Limitations upon the increase of local government debt.
2) Authorized purposes; two-thirds limitation. The General Assembly shall have no power to authorize any county, city or town, special district, or other unit of local government to contract debts secured by a pledge of its faith and credit unless approved by a majority of the qualified voters of the unit who vote thereon, except for the following purposes:
(a) to fund or refund a valid existing debt;
(b) to supply an unforseen deficiency in the revenue;
(c) to borrow in anticipation of the collection of taxes due and payable within the current fiscal year to an amount not exceeding 50 percent of such taxes;
(d) to suppress riots or insurrections;
(e) to meet emergencies immediately threatening the public health or safety, as conclusively determined in writing by the Governor;
(f) for purposes authorized by general laws uniformly applicable throughout the State, to the extent of two-thirds of the amount by which the unit's outstanding indebtedness shall have been reduced during the next preceding fiscal year.
8/3/09
If the City of Greensboro’s average employee salary is about $50,000, and the city could not spend about $10,000,000 per year by reopening the White Street Landfill, I believe the Council may have to choose between shipping our trash to Montgomery County, or about 200 city jobs, sooner than later.
Prudent Man Rule
An investment standard…to govern the action of those responsible
for investing money for other people
The fiduciary is required to act as a prudent man or woman would
in regards to investing monies of others
Bloomberg Financial
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)