Thursday, May 28, 2009

State Taxpayers to Buy Recycling Bins for Wrightstown’s Citizens

We’re in a budget deficit and they are including pork like this?

Hundreds of state employees may get laid off, local governments are bracing for deep funding cuts, and cell phone users may pay a new fee to help plug Wisconsin’s $6.6 billion budget hole.

But $46,000 worth of new recycling bins may soon be on their way to the environmentally conscious residents of the town of Wrightstown.

Late Tuesday, likely after most of the 2,000 people in the southern Brown County town had gone to bed, the Legislature’s budget committee agreed to provide the money for the new recycling bins.

Even the town’s treasurer and clerk didn’t know about the vote today.

“I have not a clue,” clerk Donna Martzahl said. “I can’t imagine that we’re getting that.”

The money will buy roughly 800 new 90-gallon recycling bins at about $60 each to replace old ones that can hold only 10 to 15 gallons, treasurer Nancy Leick said. With the new ones, town residents will be able to mix their paper, glass and other recyclable materials together instead of separating them.

Seriously?  They can’t phase them in?  They can’t just deal with the smaller ones until times are better?  Why does the entire state need to chip in for their recycling bins?

Answer:  politics.

Rep. Ted Zigmunt, a Francis Creek Democrat whose district includes Wrightstown, did not immediately return a message seeking comment. Spokesmen for the two Democratic co-chairs of the budget committee said they did not know who brought the issue to the panel for consideration.

BS.  The Democrats know exactly why and how pork like this got in front of the committee.  Zigmunt is the only Democrat representing Wrightstown and I’ll bet dollars to donuts that he requested this little piece of juicy pork through the Democrat controlled JFC. 

Another $46k to be tossed down the drain, folks… deficits or not.

(7) Comments
Posted by Owen at 0642 hrs
Politics + Politics - Wisconsin

  1. Zigmunt is the guy who defeated Repub. Frank Lassee by only a few votes and we do remember Frank as being a fiscal conservative.  Zigmunt has made a career of running for whatever office is open (Bellevue, etc.) and this time his bingo ball came out of the shute,.  I know there is someone who will be challenging this guy.  By the way, did he take the legislative pay increase just like Penny Shaver did.  Both brand new to the legislature and already lining their pockets with extra money.

    Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on May 28, 2009 at 0948 hrs


  2. 90 gallons isn’t a “bin”, it’s a cart with wheels. How often do they get their garage picked up, once a month?

    Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on May 28, 2009 at 1042 hrs


  3. We purchased a large bin when we first moved to West Bend.  We were told that it was too large, the city workers weren’t able to lift it and empty it.

    Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on May 28, 2009 at 1139 hrs


  4. I get that automated collection often requires these containers to be issued, so perhaps that is a consideration here.  If it matters any, Wrightstown issues 95-gallon refuse containers to residents, so the sizes are similar.

    That aside, there are probably better ways to finance this, like garbage collection fees or property taxes.  Of course, didn’t the state buy a bunch of streetscaping in Oregon last budget for Brett Davis?  This stuff is silly, but both sides are guilty of using it to help freshmen and vulnerables.

    Posted by Recess Supervisor on May 28, 2009 at 1319 hrs


  5. there are probably better ways to finance this...

    Yeah, like the homeowner going down to Menards or Home Depot and paying for one that fits his needs - that’s part of the “homeowner experience”. Leave it to the government types and there has to be a program, a tax, a fee…

    Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on May 29, 2009 at 0044 hrs


  6. I don’t know.  Government mandates recycling and mandates a certain size of bin.  Then I think the government ought to buy the bins, regardless of the location.  But that money should come from the government agency that ordered the size of the bins.  If the State mandates it, fine.  If they didn’t, then they need to stay out of it.

    Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on May 29, 2009 at 0045 hrs


  7. Automated collection is everything a conservative should love. It requires fewer workers, takes less time, and results in fewer injuries (which means lower worker’s comp costs).  In short, it’s cheaper, faster, and better - one of the rare times in life you can have your cake and eat it too.  Plus, co-mingled recycling requires less effort on the part of a resident, which means they’re more likely to do it.  That means more revenue from recycling and decreased landfill costs.

    But hey, maybe we should go back to the old way because then my neighbor could buy his own crappy can, forget to put the lid on tight, and feed the raccoons on trash day.  Yeah, I liked that approach a lot better.  Much better for the aesthetics and health of the neighborhood.

    Posted by Recess Supervisor on May 29, 2009 at 1113 hrs


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