Citizens group submits trash fee petition

By Kathy McCabe
Globe Staff
A citizens group has submitted a petition to the City Council, asking them to rescind the city’s trash fee, or place a question on the ballot in the November general election to let voters decide the issue.

‘‘We have wanted our voices to be heard,’’ said Robert Miller, chairman of the Malden Taxpayers for Accountability, a nonprofit group. ‘‘If the council does not take action, then the voters will.’’

The petition has 5,114 certified signatures of registered voters, more than double the amount required by the city's charter. The charter requires 8 percent, or about 2,500 of the city's estimated 27,000 registered voters, according to city officials.

The pay-as-you-throw program started in October. The goal was to raise $2.5 million and save $600,000 in solid waste disposal costs, officials said. In order to have their trash picked up, residents are required to purchase City of Malden trash bags, at a cost of $20 or $10 per box. Weekly recycling is also mandated, according a city ordinance.

Mayor Richard C. Howard proposed the program. The City Council approved it on a 7-4 vote last June, but it did not start until Oct. 6. By then, the taxpayers group was circulating a petition. ‘‘We are not opposed to recycling at all,’’ said Miller, a 33-year resident. ‘‘We wonder why the city needs a trash bag tax.’’

Howard cited the program as a revenue generator. Malden is estimating a $5 million cut in state aid for fiscal 2010, which starts July 1, according to Howard. ‘‘We either become more self reliant on local revenues, or we suffer the ups and downs of the state,’’ Howard said at a recent budget meeting with councilors.

On Tuesday, the council’s ordinance committee will meet to discuss the petition at City Hall. ‘‘I expect we’ll have some kind of hearing on it,’’ said Ward 6 Councilor Neil Kinnon, the committee chairman. ‘‘But that will be up to the committee to decide.’’

The full council has until June 15 to act on the petition. Council president Craig Spadafora expects the 11-member board will vote in favor of scheduling a voter referendum.

‘‘I’m looking forward to it going to the ballot,’’ said Spadafora, who was one of four councilors to vote against the program last year.

Kinnon said the program has fallen short of its financial goal. Revenues are expected to be $1.2 million by June 30, the end of the current fiscal year, he said. ‘‘That’s significantly lower than expected,’’ said Kinnon, who also voted against the program.

Although officials estimate the program will save $600,000 in solid waste disposal costs, the savings is not enough to justify the impact on taxpayers, Kinnon said. ‘‘It’s been successful lowering costs, ’’ he acknowledged. ‘‘But it is still a tax.’’

Miller said the city started the program without broad public input. ‘‘We’ve offered on numerous occasions to sit down and discuss this fee/tax,’’ he said. ‘‘Our bone of contention is, ‘You might have needed it, but you needed to talk to us first.’ We always wanted our voices to be heard.’’

He said about 140 volunteers collected signatures of registered voters living in each of the city’s eight wards.

‘‘I have to give credit to people who walked the wards,’’ said Miller, a 33-year resident. ‘‘We have signatures from every neighborhood. We met a lot of upset people.’’

Kathy McCabe can be reached at kmccabe@globe.com