By ANTHONY BOTTAN
The villages - East Rockaway, Lynbrook, Rockville Centre, Malverne, Valley Stream, Freeport and Garden City - currently have a garbage disposal contract with the town and Covanta, a facility that converts waste into energy, until August 2009.
The town has offered the villages a new 25-year contract, under which, according to Malverne Trustee Joseph Hennessy, the villages would be charged $88 per ton for garbage disposal, plus a 2 percent management fee. Hennessy said he wants to see if there are other, less costly alternatives.
"We know that if we go with Covanta directly, we don't have to pay the 2 percent," Hennessy said. "We want to find ways to cut costs, and it's time the villages understand what's out there."
The villages have entered into a municipal agreement to hire Dvirka and Bartilucci Consulting Engineers to conduct a study that will analyze how the villages pick up trash, what is recycled and how to improve service.
According to East Rockaway Mayor Ed Sieban, it is the due diligence of the village to find the best possible price for residents. "The cost of disposal is an extraordinary portion of our budget ... about 8 percent of our total budget," Sieban said. "If I can assure the lowest possible price, that would translate to holding down taxes for village residents."
The length of the town's proposed contract was the main deterrent for Lynbrook Mayor Brian Curran. "The biggest concern I have with a 25-year contract is that nobody knows if there will be any innovation to handling garbage refuse," Curran said. "If there is, we are still locked into the contract."
Rockville Centre Trustee Dave Krasula said that the Dvirka and Bartilucci study began this week. Once it is completed, the villages will issue a Request for Proposal. Essentially, they will be looking for a garbage disposal company that offers the most cost-effective solution. In the meantime, village officials must decide by July whether they want to re-sign with the town.
In addition to the contract's length, Krasula said, "Cost is a big factor. The $88 a ton would be somewhere around $12 more a ton than we currently pay. We feel that the amount currently being charged is higher than it needs to be."
When asked if a garbage disposal contract with the town would be advantageous for the villages, Town of Hempstead spokeswoman Sue Trenkle said it was up to each village to decide on its own.
Hennessy said that the villages must find out what alternatives are available - like using transfer stations or hauling trash to upstate New York.
Rockville Centre Mayor Mary Bossart explained that the villages have not rejected the town's offer, but their study will help local officials become more informed about trash disposal and how it could impact their future operations and finances. "Principally, people want to see taxes down," Bossart said, "and we want to be as green as we possibly can."
Comments about this story? Abottan@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 246.
