Stormwater Council Resigns over Privatization of Storm Water Management
Ξ August 20th, 2007 | → 0 Comments | ∇ Indiana, Phase II |
From the Albany, IN News and Tribune:
Amid legal challenges to a contract they signed, all three members of the city’s Stormwater Board quit at the end of the monthly meeting Friday morning.Chairman Tim Deatrick and Al Goodman had voted at the previous meeting July 20 to sign a three-year operating deal with Environmental Management Corp. that would effectively “privatize” the city’s stormwater drainage utility, taking its employees off the city payroll. Sam Asberry voted against the motion.
In response to the contract, the local union for drainage employees obtained a restraining order, citing insufficient notice for an action that would amount to a layoff.
After reading the article, I don’t blame the board for quitting. They did their research and found out that privatizing the stormwater program was the most cost-effective way to go. This is no surprise as small MS4s just will not be able to achieve the economies of scale necessary to make these programs feasible. Private companies are the natural response to this. Capitalism is more efficient than government.
As it is a service instead of contract work, I also support the view that the work did not need to be bid out. They had a reliable operator with whom they had a working relationship with. Why make this harder than it should be?
-Stormwater Guru
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