Commercial Trash Collection

A perfect opportunity was missed to charge businesses for trash collection rather than totally cease the service as proposed by Mrs. Woolsey. A proposal by Mr. Noyes to provide one free pick-up per week and to charge for additional pick-ups did not get the Board support since Mrs. Woolsey along with Mr. Plouffe and Mr Bean had differing views. Mr. Bean believed we should leave it alone and continue to provide free collection so I question how many beach businesses are clients of his insurance firm. Mrs. Woolsey together with Mr. Plouffe were determined to eliminate the service rather than compromise. The proposal by Mr. Noyes would have provided up to $500,000 to the Town to offset its trash collection service.

Mrs. Woolsey's logic was arguable about the savings to the town. Any argument made by the Chamber of Commerce or the beach business community that they should get this service gratis is without logic or merit. It is only fair that they should pay for the service as every other business would. By providing one free pick-up a week they would get the same benefit as a local resident so they have no case.

I do hope this subject won't go away and can be revisited again next year after the election. Hopefully there will be a greater sense of enlightenment by the Board of Selectmen.

Mrs. Woolsey is promoting the warrant article as a citizen petition warrant and I have serious reservations about its passage and should it pass whether it is enforceable or advisory.

For Rational Taxpayers of Hampton

Norman Silberdick