Dem Slate Rips Cost of New Garbage Hauler in Yorktown
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Now that the dust has settled in terms of who is hauling away garbage in Yorktown, the cost of switching companies has been the subject of some trash talking.
The Democratic slate of candidates contended last week Yorktown will be paying 25% more after firing Competitive Carting and hiring CRP Carting.
The one-year emergency contract the Town Board approved with CRP two weeks ago requires Yorktown to pay $358,000 per month. Competitive was paid about $288,000 per month. However, Supervisor Tom Diana explained by making the change Yorktown will be saving about $106,000.
Jann Mirchandani, who is challenging Diana in November, said the numbers don’t lie.
“Residents have demanded financial transparency from this board. Instead, Tom Diana and the Town Board meet behind closed doors, and promise that we’re saving money because of $150,000 in fines,” she said. “Look at the transaction history. Five minutes with a calculator and anyone can see how wrong they are. CRP gets $70,000 more than Competitive each paycheck. They get 25% more over 12 months. That isn’t saving money.”
However, Diana maintained Mirchandani and her running mates, Tom Marron and Steve Shaw, just don’t understand how municipal government works.
“If they did, it would kind of be cut and dry,” Diana remarked.
Diana said Yorktown saved $288,000 by not paying Competitive for the month of August. He stressed the town will also be collecting a $1.1 million performance bond Competitive posted when they were selected in 2022 and anticipated levying more fines against Competitive for lacks in performance.
Meanwhile, the Democrats said Diana predicted last year that a nine percent tax increase would be necessary in 2024 to keep the town operational.
“This Town Board is mismanaging Yorktown. Not only have they kept residents in the dark time and time again, but they refused to acknowledge the serious financial problems the town is facing,” Marron said. “The current board is ignoring the needs of town residents. How are regular people supposed to live here if the board’s hiking our taxes every year to pay for their mistakes?”
Diana said he was perplexed by any mention of a nine percent tax hike, noting he was likely going to propose a budget for 2024 in a few weeks with no tax increase.
“What are they talking about? I don’t foresee that at all,” Diana said. “It’s silly season. I get it but speak the truth.”
Rick has more than 40 years’ experience covering local news in Westchester and Putnam counties, running the gamut from politics and crime to sports and human interest. He has been an editor at Examiner Media since 2012. Read more from Rick’s editor-author bio here. Read Rick’s work here: https://www.theexaminernews.com/author/pezzullo_rick-writer/
