By Jim Newell
Managing Editor
OXFORD TWP. – The Oxford Township Board of Trustees voted unanimously to put the decision on whether or not the township switches to a single waste hauler system before voters.
The board authorized its Single Waste Hauler Committee to work with the Kelly Firm, the township’s attorneys, to draft language for a question to be put on the Nov. 5, 2024 ballot. The committee will present the language at a future meeting for board members’ consideration for approval.
Switching to a single waste hauler has been a highly contentious issue in Oxford Township. In the spring, the township board tabled the issue after hundreds of residents attended meetings and complained about the possibility of switching to a single waste hauler for all township residents.
Currently, township residents are responsible for contracting with waste haulers directly for garbage pickup.
While there was little board discussion and no public comments on the issue at the December meeting, Trustee Rod Charles, had asked in September that switching to a single waste hauler be placed on an upcoming agenda for discussion.
“I just want to make sure (we) take into account what folks said. That we do…have transparency and communication, I hear that. I think that the major effort going forward on this whole thing is communication so that the public knows what’s going on. That’s it,” Charles said at the Nov. 8 meeting.
The board voted 4-3 during its meeting on Nov. 8 to update its consulting agreement with Resource Recycling Systems for up to $9,000. The board also voted 6-1 for the Single Waste Hauler Committee to develop the township’s Request for Proposal (RFP) for a single waste hauler. During the meeting on Dec. 13, the board rescinded the motion for a consulting agreement with Resource Recycling Systems.
The proponents of switching to single waste hauler say that it will reduce the number of garbage trucks on the road each week, and the township could then hold accountable any waste hauler company that does not live up to the terms of the contract.
Opponents argue that switching to a single waste hauler limits their choices and would affect competition, and companies currently providing services in the township, especially smaller companies, could be outbid by larger companies.