Monday, September 22, 2008
Guilt Free Shopping
Updated
In the WTF department, the Times Picayune reports:
In case you don't get the WTF? reaction:
Is anybody still pushing the line that Orleans Parish residents should do as much of their shopping as possible in Orleans Parish? I stopped feeling that way two years ago, but, even now that any lingering personal anger has largely subsided, I really can't feel any guilt about spending money in Jefferson Parish that I could be spending in New Orleans. As a matter of fact, I do most of my grocery shopping at Terranova's or Canseco's on Esplanade, but that's a matter of convenience and supporting small businesses. I certainly don't feel any need to give the city my tax dollars. Can anybody seriously argue that I should?
For more on the subject, see Celcus (this post also) and my earlier post. Since we've heard this joke before, I'll repeat the question. Can anybody seriously argue that Orleans Parish residents, or people who work in Orleans Parish, have any kind of obligation to try to keep their tax dollars in New Orleans?
Alternate Question: Considering the fact that the city makes no apparent effort to set budget priorities and spends more for the same services than its more prosperous neighbor, how can anybody accept the budget shortfall/staff shortage excuse for anything? Jefferson Parish doesn't exactly have a reputation as a model of good government.
Update: As Al points out in the comments, $12.33 per cubic yard works out to just over $40 per ton. That still means that, at $60 and $200 per ton, two of the city contractors are being paid significantly more than Jefferson has started to pay its contractors. Those contracts were negotiated before the Ike and Gustav forced Jefferson Parish to raise its price, they were also negotiated when the price of oil was much lower. Unsurprisingly, the two contractors making pre-Ike wages don't seem to want any more work.
In the WTF department, the Times Picayune reports:
Amid intense demand to collect storm debris stretching across two states, Jefferson Parish President Aaron Broussard said Monday that he has raised the price the administration pays contractors for hauling.
The increase to $12.33 per cubic yard, from $9.97 spelled out in a contract that was awarded before the storm season, went into effect Sunday, designed to sharpen Jefferson's competitive edge in vying for debris crews and to speed the pace of collecting tree branches downed by Hurricanes Gustav and Ike.
In case you don't get the WTF? reaction:
White said last week that SDT Waste & Debris, which charges $200 a ton to collect storm debris, would be called on first to handle the task. The city's other garbage collectors, Richard's Disposal and Metro Disposal, earn $30 and $60 a ton, respectively.
Is anybody still pushing the line that Orleans Parish residents should do as much of their shopping as possible in Orleans Parish? I stopped feeling that way two years ago, but, even now that any lingering personal anger has largely subsided, I really can't feel any guilt about spending money in Jefferson Parish that I could be spending in New Orleans. As a matter of fact, I do most of my grocery shopping at Terranova's or Canseco's on Esplanade, but that's a matter of convenience and supporting small businesses. I certainly don't feel any need to give the city my tax dollars. Can anybody seriously argue that I should?
For more on the subject, see Celcus (this post also) and my earlier post. Since we've heard this joke before, I'll repeat the question. Can anybody seriously argue that Orleans Parish residents, or people who work in Orleans Parish, have any kind of obligation to try to keep their tax dollars in New Orleans?
Alternate Question: Considering the fact that the city makes no apparent effort to set budget priorities and spends more for the same services than its more prosperous neighbor, how can anybody accept the budget shortfall/staff shortage excuse for anything? Jefferson Parish doesn't exactly have a reputation as a model of good government.
Update: As Al points out in the comments, $12.33 per cubic yard works out to just over $40 per ton. That still means that, at $60 and $200 per ton, two of the city contractors are being paid significantly more than Jefferson has started to pay its contractors. Those contracts were negotiated before the Ike and Gustav forced Jefferson Parish to raise its price, they were also negotiated when the price of oil was much lower. Unsurprisingly, the two contractors making pre-Ike wages don't seem to want any more work.
Labels: Cronyism, debris removal, garbage collection, waste
Friday, November 16, 2007
Ceeon Quiett explains the city's position
It's actually quite simple: if you're ninety year-old grandmother, or a man who's just had a hernia operation, couldn't safely carry it down the porch stairs and out to the curb, it must be storm-related.
As Ms. Quiett put it in a letter to the editor:
So it only makes sense that the city enacted an ordinance that left residents responsible for the disposal of any waste that must be storm-related:
To be fair, the "industry norms" excuse that the garbage haulers give doesn't sound completely ridiculous, but there was a paucity of bids for the contracts and potential bidders claim that the "unlimited pickup' provision was the reason that they dropped out of the bidding. In her letter, Ceeon Quiett claims that the contracts were publicly bid, but she also calls her boss a "champion of transparency". If city government really were transparent, i.e. if all city RFP's were viewable by any visitor to the city's website, we'd all have a much better idea whether misleading RFP's were really publicized to frighten away competition.
Also in Quiett's letter:
"Fleecing of America" here we come. Let's give the feds even more to investigate.
Yep, I have real empathy for anybody who's still agonizing over the Hobson's choice tomorrow between a council candidate who says mean things about homeless people and one who writes ordinances to help her campaign contributors make millions -- at the city's expense. Oh wait, FEMA will pay for it. I wouldn't want Ms. Quiett to think that I'm being counterproductive.
As Ms. Quiett put it in a letter to the editor:
SDT, Richards Disposal and Metro Disposal, vendors secured via the public bid process, face similar requirements under the city's solid waste collection contracts, except that SDT's agreement does not include construction material and is the only contract that includes sidewalk cleaning and sweeping.
What is not included in any of the solid waste agreements is the collection of storm-related debris.
So it only makes sense that the city enacted an ordinance that left residents responsible for the disposal of any waste that must be storm-related:
White said the city's trash vendors are in compliance with their contracts. She pointed to a section of the city code that places strict limits on "bulky waste," including a 25-pound cap on bundled construction and demolition waste and a provision that says debris generated by private contractors or at small-business locations is not covered.
...
the ordinance was adopted by the City Council in April, five months after Nagin signed the sanitation contracts and six months before FEMA terminated its mission to provide free debris pickup in New Orleans.
The measure was drafted by the Nagin administration and sponsored by Willard-Lewis.
To be fair, the "industry norms" excuse that the garbage haulers give doesn't sound completely ridiculous, but there was a paucity of bids for the contracts and potential bidders claim that the "unlimited pickup' provision was the reason that they dropped out of the bidding. In her letter, Ceeon Quiett claims that the contracts were publicly bid, but she also calls her boss a "champion of transparency". If city government really were transparent, i.e. if all city RFP's were viewable by any visitor to the city's website, we'd all have a much better idea whether misleading RFP's were really publicized to frighten away competition.
Also in Quiett's letter:
The city cannot afford to ignore any opportunity for federal reimbursement.
"Fleecing of America" here we come. Let's give the feds even more to investigate.
Yep, I have real empathy for anybody who's still agonizing over the Hobson's choice tomorrow between a council candidate who says mean things about homeless people and one who writes ordinances to help her campaign contributors make millions -- at the city's expense. Oh wait, FEMA will pay for it. I wouldn't want Ms. Quiett to think that I'm being counterproductive.
Labels: Ceeon Quiett, Cynthia Willard-Lewis, garbage collection
