Committee of the Whole - Refuse Disscussion Part 1

As I previously posted tonight’s meeting was set to begin the discussion of the possibility of the privatization of garbage. The board’s preliminary conclusion this evening was that the matter should not be voted on next week as there currently isn’t enough information warranting a change and that a subcommittee be formed to investigate further.

Before getting into further details of the meeting as pertaining to garbage, I need to make mention of two things that really stand out from the meeting.

I want to begin by thanking everyone who attended the meeting. Participation of residents and employees in local government is essential to the evolution and progress of this Village. Any community without residents that provide input or monitor progress is susceptible to regression and failure. I would also like to thank that those who spoke with such passion about a critical issue regarding the Village. Our village government does not belong to the Trustee or the Mayor it belongs to the residents as a whole. Tonight made me very proud to be a member of our community let alone be a Trustee.

Secondly, I want to state that it is undisputed that the refuse department and Lansing Public Works as whole is a largely one of the reasons why this is and has been a tremendous community to live in. Historically Public Works has always done a great job. As someone stated tonight we have “Cadillac service” here in town. Again,it is undisputed that Lansing Public Works does a first rate job.

These points being made I walked away from tonight’s meeting feeling very frustrated. Mainly because I feel like so much explanation on how village board meetings are conducted particularly how issues are presented, discussed and decided by the board was not made necessarily clear to tonight's audience.