Let the Debate Begin!

In a guest column appearing in this morning's Herald-Dispatch written by Mark B. Bugher, president and chief executive officer of the Huntington Regional Chamber of Commerce, he stated that a recent guest column I wrote, in which I suggested that the city government be cautious while considering the outsourcing of the City of Huntington's Sanitation Department, "does a great disservice to this community." Mr. Bugher has taken my comments out of context. My intent while writing the column was to illustrate how important thorough investigation and writing the "scope of services to be performed" are and how imperative it is to consider the good/bad results experienced by municipalities that have decided to privatize their solid waste and/or sanitation services. He suggested that I was "uninformed", and he stated that "a one-sided discussion of the potential "evils" of privatization before any real proposal is on the table is a thinly veiled attempt to influence the outcome before the debate even begins." What Mr. Bugher did not know is that the column I wrote was twice as long as the one that was published, and it was edited to substantially reduce the length. The redacted part stated that the main reason cities consider privatization is reduced costs, but that their are other advantages. However, "pitfalls" have been experienced in many cases.

It is obvious, if you participate in this “Neighborhood Issues” blog, that I am committed to finding solutions for the endemic litter and solid waste disposal crisis in our city. I continue my extensive research to ascertain what other municipalities are doing to ensure quality household solid waste disposal, which in turn goes a long way in reducing and eliminating street litter. Huntington continues to be one of the most littered cities in the state.

According to one source, about half the cities in America do not own garbage trucks or employ sanitation workers. Instead, they have privatized solid waste collection by contracting with private sector companies for this service. Even fewer cities own landfills, opting instead to dispose of their community's solid waste in a facility serving a broad region. Every controlled study comparing public versus private service delivery shows lower costs (for a given level of performance) for private enterprise. The key phrase here is “for a given level of performance."

The City of Huntington’s government must consider attendant costs of privatization. The cost of a privatized operation always exceeds the amount specified in the city's contract with the private-sector provider. Any realistic analysis of a privatization proposal must take into account such additional costs as bid preparation and advertising, contract administration, performance monitoring, etc. Otherwise, it is entirely possible that the total cost of a privatized service will exceed the cost of in-house operation even though the contractor's fee is less.

In short, I am not for, or against, privatization. I am for a reasoned and thorough investigation and debate about the pros and cons of outsourcing city services and that it is done in a timely manner - and with the final goal of optimizing the services to the citizens of our city. Let the debate begin!

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