PAYT is DEAD. Again.

Talk about recycling. PAYT was declared dead on April 30, 2015. See PAYT is DEAD. Then on May 27, 2015, I wrote that PAYT is being recycled again. Highlights from the commission meeting Fast forward to January 3, 2017 when Susan Morgans was going to make us feel good about solid waste and PAYT, now called SMART, in her memorandum to Manager Keith McGill. Desperately Seeking Susan UPDATED

Somehow I missed this news from the March 3, 2017 PG. Beverly Road may get more parking; pay-as-you-throw tossed in Mt. Lebanon

"After nearly an hour of debate Monday, commissioners decided not to further pursue a pay-as-you-throw garbage collection program, after analysis indicated that it could cost some residents more than the current system." 

“Not one person has expressed an interest in pay-as-you-throw, but they are interested in weekly recycling,” Commissioner Stephen McLean said about the emails and calls he has received on the issue."

PAYT is DEAD. Again.

Wow! SMART/PAYT people will not be happy to read this UPDATED

Is recycling really the best way to keep plastic out of the oceans?

Update February 13, 2017 5:53 PM A reminder to Lebo Citizens Readers - I will not be accepting anonymous comments for this thread. The good news is that Dave Brumfield and Company want to hear from YOU concerning PAYT. Lebo commissioners hoping for resident feedback on trash collections

Also, a copy of the feasibility study presented to the commissioners in September 2014 is available here.

Six of seven panel members, regardless of their opinion of PAYT, agree that PAYT is not the most pressing issue in the community.

I'm sure these two important points from the document will never be highlighted in MTL's propaganda.

• Winners and Losers: Some groups (renters, large families and residents on fixed incomes) may find it difficult to reduce the amounts of MSW that they place at the curbside and/or pay for the bags or tags that will be required by the program.

• Administration Costs: The new system will require adequate ongoing funding for supervision, billing, enforcement, outreach, and education. These costs may offset gains from savings.

Ongoing funding. My recent salary post shows what happens to "administrative" costs. The additional annual municipal staffing will eventually will eventually overtake any PAYT savings to the municipality and land on the backs of homeowners.

Desperately Seeking Susan UPDATED

What would we do without the Public Information Officer? Susan Morgans sent out a memorandum to Keith McGill and shared her plans to make us feel good about solid waste and PAYT, now called SMART. Mt. Lebanon can count on Susan to put a positive spin on everything, including garbage.

PIO PAYT Memorandum









Update January 3, 2017 8:10 PM I thought it would be appropriate to include this portion of last week's Commissioners' Administrative Report from Keith McGill.

This isn't the first time there have been delivery issues with the print edition of mtl Magazine. See Update on mtl Magazine delivery

Revamping the Stormwater Management Fee

I'm sure by now, you have all received your 2017 Stormwater Management Fee. Some people have referred to this fee as a "rain tax." Each single family home, duplex, or townhome is charged for one Equivalent Residential Unit (ERU), regardless of size. All other properties, including places of worship, are charged 1 ERU for each 2,400 square feet of impervious surface.

Every home is charged a yearly fee of $96.00, or $94.08 if paid by 1/31/2017. Some homes in Mt. Lebanon have leach beds, which do not feed into the stormwater management system, yet are still charged a stormwater fee. Starter homes in Mt. Lebanon are charged the same amount as the mansions in Virginia Manor.

While the commissioners contemplate PAYT or SMART, whichever is the acronym du jour, perhaps they should take a step back and look at how inequitable their rain tax is.

Also, take note of what Jordan Tax Service charges us for our sewage bill. It is a flat rate of $4.36 per bill.  I am paying, on average, close to a monthly 28% fee. I questioned this service charge with Jordan Tax Service, only to be told that it is what Mt. Lebanon agreed to pay. When bringing it to Andrew McCreery's attention, I was told that is what Jordan is charging us, and Mt. Lebanon has no control of it. It sounded negotiable to me. So which is it?

While on the subject of utilities, I spoke with an electrical supplier about negotiating a municipal rate. It is possible, but when I presented the idea to the commissioners, the idea was rejected.

When all of these inequities are corrected, I will be the first one to praise PAYT/SMART, but until then, it is just another bad idea coming from the Municipal Building.

Discussions continue on ‘SMART’ trash collection in Mt. Lebanon | The Almanac UPDATED 2X

A guest blogger who wishes to remain anonymous asked me to post this. If you have a post you would like me to share, email me at EGillen476@aol.com. 

Are people getting the message yet? Probably not!!!

"Baram asked commissioners to not use the $20,000 in the 2016 budget to “engage the community for the input needed to customize a possible program,” with the hope of spending it in 2017 for educational purposes."

NOT ENGAGE THE COMMUNITY FOR INPUT-- of course not! Better to use the $20,000 for indoctrination.

Discussions continue on ‘SMART’ trash collection in Mt. Lebanon

Then there is this from your blog:

"Mr. Meduho,
To continue to expend staff time to provide a response to numbers that are subject to change is an inefficient and fiscally irresponsible use of taxpayer funds, therefore there will be no further response to these requests."

In other words... they'll tell us what they want us to know when they're good and ready and not before.

Coupled with your RTK case and it's obvious who works for who.

Update December 15, 2016 2:39 PM Receipt for commissioners' pre-meeting meal. $119.50 for Lebo Subs.

Update December 16, 2016 6:58 AM The comment from Not Too Smart at 6:15 AM got me thinking about snow removal. This idea could save the municipality millions too. Will we get a tax decrease for saving Mt. Lebanon millions? Yeah, like that will happen. A reduction in services while our taxes increase is how our commissioners think. Our SMART commissioners will vote for it!