By Tom Grace
Cooperstown News Bureau
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COOPERSTOWN _ At Wednesday's meeting, the Otsego County Board of Representatives took a step toward leaving MOSA, extending its contract with solid waste consultant Hans Arnold.
Two years ago, Arnold was retained by the county for $56,500 to prepare a long-range solid waste management plan. Since then, on his advice, MOSA has defeased its bonds, lowered its tipping fee and worked with the state to guarantee the safety of landfills used by MOSA in the past.
As amended Wednesday, the county's contract with Arnold's firm, Gerhardt LLC, calls on him to review plans to monitor closed landfills, and "to discuss and negotiate the disposition of (MOSA's) assets" as the county prepares to "transition out of MOSA."
He also will work with state legislative offices "to determine their procedure for introducing a bill" that will allow Otsego County to exit MOSA.
For these services, he will be paid $16,500.
MOSA began operating in 1989 and the service agreement uniting its three member counties _ Montgomery, Otsego and Schoharie _ will expire April 30, 2014. For years, members of the Otsego County board have expressed their dissatisfaction with the Authority and earlier this year, the county's Solid Waste & Environmental Concerns Committee voted that the county should prepare to go its own way in 2014.
Rep. Stephen Fournier, chair of that committee, noted that its members approved a more extensive plan to prepare for a post-MOSA future, including the siting of a new transfer station, or recycling and environmental services complex (RESCOM) in the county.
That 12-step plan was not approved by the county's Administration Committee however, leading to the more modest proposal adopted Wednesday.
Rep. Donald Lindberg, R-Worcester, voted against amending Arnold's contract, saying, "I don't think we should get into the garbage business."
Although the contract agreed to Wednesday will not take the county out of MOSA, it moves the county in that direction. Lindberg said he doesn't believe the county should prepare to take over MOSA's role, but should "let nature take its course."
Rep. James Powers, R-Butternuts, disagreed, saying that without a public plan small haulers will likely be swallowed by larger ones. Without a publicly run transfer station, "Small haulers won't have any place to go," he said.
And as small haulers leave the local market, competition will diminish, Powers said.
Rep. Keith McCarty, R-Springfield, agreed with Powers, as did Fournier, who warned, "When you drive out the small haulers, prices will go up and some people will be dumping (waste) along the roads."
The amended contract was approved by a weighted vote of 5,309 to 532, with Rep. Cathy Rothenberger, D-Oneonta, absent.
Board chairman Sam Dubben, R-Middlefield, said he believes the contract approved Wednesday, "is a good first step to learning the details about what leaving MOSA would entail.'
