somthing stinks in newton

[char]

somthing stinks in newton... why after all these years of being allowed to take care of our own garbage is it now forced down our throats and pocketbooks.... my family reclycles everything.... and if we get a bag of garbage a month its a lot... we used to take those bags and pay the spring cleanup fee once a year... now we are not "allowed" to do that?

[susie]

Hi Char and welcome to the Newton Township boards!  We take care of our own garbage also.  I don't think I like the way that it was put into effect either.  First, we receive a survey about whether we would like it or not. Then all of a sudden we are receiving a bill from the garbage company. Nothing from the township saying how the vote went, when it it would start -  nothing.  You just got this bill in the mail.....

[char]

yes susie no information at all... not where to leave it... in what kind of container... what day...or time...just pay this bill now...call waste managment and they say to take it up with the township... call them and said it has to be taken up with the supervisors... that the meeting will be held april 12 at 7:30 .. come to find out they already had a meeting....your income has to be ten thousand dollars per house hold or less to get a half price discount....excuse me... taxes alone take up more than a quarter of that... and ten thousand is gross... not counting if your disabled .... and most of your income goes on taxes and medical expenses....they dont want to hear it... at least give me the chance to recycle and save money on my own.... no according to the township... i say somthing stinks in newton...

[Sal]

Greetings Char and Susie.

You can take recyclables to the Lackawanna County Recycling Center and it is free. More information on that subject is available by clicking on NewtonPA at the top of this page.  I do not see how they can force anyone in the township to pay for recycling if those people choose to take recyclables to the recycling center.

I found out that the meeting of March 29, 2004, was for the purpose passing the ordinance that went into effect April 3, 2004 and people received their bill before March 29.  I cannot say for sure since I was denied access to public records but based on the events and dates; it would appear that there are violations of the Sunshine Act. In addition, minutes of the meeting and a copy of the ordinance were not available.  I was told that the Township solicitor Joseph Sileo was holding the ordinance.  Imagine that, a township passes an ordinance and the solicitor will not let people see it. Hey but do not lose sleep over it, I can tell you what is in the ordinance.  In the ordinance, you will find a bunch of garbage because the author of the ordinance is the garbage man Joseph Sileo.      

It has always been difficult to put things into perspective in this township because they do whatever they can to keep people in the dark.  I made a request for public records.  The township secretary was willing to provide them and she was willing to email them so that I could put them on this website and make them available to everyone.  However, attorney Sileo, told her not to do it.  I then asked that they be put on a disk.  The township’s Request Form clearly states that you can have information on disk.  However, the secretary told me that attorney Sileo said he is going to change that so I got nothing.  Attorney Sileo, in my opinion among other things, has violated the Right to Know Law.  We need to have attorney Sileo removed and get an attorney that understands that he is not above the law and that his fiduciary responsibilities is to the people of the Township.

One time I had to subpoena a township official to get public records and I got the records.  This time I guess I will have to hull attorney Sileo in front of a Judge or have his license revoked to get the job done.  Whatever it takes, I will get all public records and make them available to everyone.    

Don’t forget to join the Citizens Group.  We need to permanently stop the nonsense in Newton Township.

[char]

sal i understand you can still recycle... and the ten dollar fee is ludicrus... my main beef is that when i recycle i have hardly any garbage.... and we are being forced to pay for garbage removal whether we have any or not....

[MatM]

I disagree with this garbage business too. I don't believe we should pay for something  we don't use. I say we dump our trash in the supervisors lawns. haha

[M2]

Yeah, this whole garbage thing stinks. I think we should take care of our trash however we see fit, like MatM's suggestion of dumping it on the supervisors lawns. Garbage is a person or family's own private business and should be handled as such.

[rosy]

i would like to know how everyone is planning on handeling the garbage dispute. i also knew nothing about this until i received a bill in the mail for something i did not order. i have a very small amount of garbage and would not benifit from this. are people going to pay this bill? fight it? what? also, i wanted to say, i think this web site is a great idea, i never know whats going on in the township, and now, i will check this every few days. the only thing i would suggest is to get this information to more people, i didn't know about this web site either, i just happened to overhear someone talking about it. i have to say, most people i talk to have no idea whats going on in our township, and this is a great way to do it for anyone who has access to a computer.

[Sal]

Welcome to the Community Forum MatM, M2 and rosy.

In reply to rosy:

There is a meeting tonight at 7:30PM.  We should have additional information after the meeting.  I contacted an attorney and the trash matter can be fought but it is important that people join the Citizens Group.  You can do so here.

The website was just started last week.  The search companies have already started indexing the site and it will be listed soon. In addition, it will be advertised but people that come here can also help. Send an email to anyone that you know in the township with a link to the website and ask them to forward it to people that they know.

I think that most people in the township have a computer or at least access to one.  For those that do not have a computer, they will get the word from a friend or neighbor that does.  At least information will be readily available to the people.  That is something that we never had in Newton Township.

There is much to do in the township and if people just help a little bit, we will accomplish a lot.

[Sal]

Newton Township will NOT fine residents if they do not pay the trash bill.Read More Here

[davidk]

No, but Waste Management will Dunn you and possibly damage your credit rating.
I am waiting to see how the afadavites are determined. This ought to be interesting

[JoeP]

I wrote the following letter and deleivered it to the Newton Township Supervisors on April 2.  There has been no response.  I too took care of my own trash but without the Newton Recycling Center, I'm stuck to go with Waste Managment.  This stinks.

JoeP - Beaver Pond Road
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To the Newton Township Supervisors,

I am writing to complain of the poor job you did in communicating and coordinating the new Township Waste Management contract.  You could have saved your residents a lot of confusion, frustration and questions had you only taken the time to communicate effectively.  You have a web site (that seems to serve no purpose) and/or you could have sent your residents a letter announcing the proposed Refuse/Recycling contract was adopted.  Likewise, you could have posted a notice in public places like Stange’s store and the Newton Rec Center.

In addition to announcing to the residents the contract was adopted (most did not know until they got their first bill), you should have taken the time to communicate and explain the following;

· Starting date (April 6th ).  This is particularly important to those residents who were not currently using Waste Management services.

· Term of the contract – we have heard that it is longer than initially proposed and voted on by the residents.

· Defining Low Income  – what is considered income and how is it determined, and who determines it?  Are Federal wage guidelines used or State guidelines followed?  Pa. state does not count Social Security or Pensions as income whereas the Federal government does.  Big difference, and you provided no help.

· Senior Resident Rate – discovered after the fact that the proposal was incorrect, only one bag per week and no curbside recycling.  This forces seniors electing this option to include recyclables in their one bag of trash trash, defeating the whole purpose of recycling.  Plus this makes the one bag limit more  difficult for seniors to adhere to.  No alternative provided or offered by the Township.  This is a major screw up.

· Senior Resident Qualification – no communication how and where one applies for this discount.

· Recyclables – no guidelines, separation or limitation procedures provided.  What day do they go out?  What is allowed, not allowed (e.g. Aerosol cans, empty oil containers?).

· Containers for Recyclables – who provides them, how/where do we obtain them?

· Newton Recycling Center – it would have been nice to been informed when the last day the center would be in operation.

· Trash Burning Ordinances  – the Township has not communicated how these ordinances will be impacted and/or be enforced in light of the new refuse contract.

· Contract Choices – no choices were offered, we just got a bill for the “Regular Resident” fee (the highest amount).  I would have thought the first thing residents received was information as outlined above and a “choices” form.  The township’s original letter said “you will find some examples of services and prices available in the proposed contract”.  Yet, there don’t seem to be any new choices offered.  Are there other plans and if so, what are they?

The township can blame this all on Waste Management and say they should have communicated this information but I hold you gentleman responsible.  You have the responsibility to reach out to your residents with changes that affect our way of life and our pocketbook, especially since it was you who negotiated this contract.  You can no longer think your job is done because it was discussed at a township meeting or was in the newspapers.  Not every resident attends meetings nor does every resident get (or can afford) the daily newspaper.  The old standby, if you want to know what’s happening in the Township you need to come to a meeting or visit the Township building doesn’t cut it anymore.  You have the responsibility to get the word out to all your residents.  And with today’s technology (a desktop computer, word processing, Email, and a Web site) along with employing someone with basic administrative and business skills, you have no excuse.

I will come to the Township Building, when it is time to vote for Supervisors who know how to communicate to the residents beyond the Township Building.

Sincerely,

April 2, 2004

PS. I would hope you clarify, for all Newton residents, some of the issues I raised in my letter.  Or will it be business as usual?

[susie]

Hi JoeP and welcome to the boards!!!   This website wasn't up and running until after the bills from Waste Management were received.  In fact, this website is the direct result of the garbage decision.  This wasn't done by the township, but by a citizen of the township.

Your letter to the township, in my opinion, has hit the nail on the head!!!!  There was no communication at all about what was going on.  All we saw was a survey in February and a bill received at the end of March effective immediately.  The supervisors knew this would happen because they voted on accepting the contract just days before it would go into effect.  They knew that there was no time to communicate any information to the public.

What bothers me most is that I think that the supervisors forget that they are there for all the people of the township.  I understand that our country is based on the vote of the majority rules, but the vote still has to be based on an informed decision by the public (which they represent).

[char]

excellant letter JoeP.  I hope someone from the township can and will answer... If your ever concider running for supervisor...you have my vote.....welcome to the boards...  

[JoeP]

Thanks so much for your vote of confidence.  We have a beautiful township and I know most residents want to keep it that way.  We have lived here over 20 years.  So it can't be business as usual for the Township Supervisors (or the way it has been done for the past 50 years).  There are all sorts of developers, self interested entrepreneurs and perhaps even a few residents who would love to make big bucks out here even if it resulted in destroying the way of life we all enjoy in Newton Township.  If the supervisors aren't diligent and thorough, and if they don't exercise foresight as well as restraint - Newton could end up as another Clarks Summit (over crowded, over developed, congested).  Business as usual is an invitation for disaster, as demonstrated in the recent waste disposal debacle, and is not acceptable.

As for running for office - well easier said than done.  I do have more time than many (I'm retired) and I have business and management experience.  But it is one thing to sit here at my keyboard and have something to say about Township affairs and politics.  It is another thing entirely to take the time, effort and commitment (and time away from family) to step over the line and become a community leader.  In all fairness to those in community leadership positions, it is often a thankless job and as an old adage put it - you can make some of the people happy some of the time, but you can't make all of the people happy all of the time.

Running a Township is a full time job and as I said before - showing up for the meeting once a month no longer cuts it.

One final thought - many thanks to the person who put this web site together.  This is an excellent vehicle to bring Newton residents together to share thoughts and ideas, or to alert a large audience of changes that affect our well being.  Well done - very well done.  Hopefully, the Township Supervisors will realize the potential in this medium of communication and move forward from smoke signals, the telegraph and "ya all - you wanna know whats going on?  Well ya gotta come to the meeting".  Yeah right.