JEFFERSONVILLE — The large metal recycling bins supplied by the county for residents of its unincorporated areas are on borrowed time.
The commissioners voted unanimously Thursday to put an end to the program. The cash-strapped county government can’t afford to provide them anymore, said Commissioners President Jack Coffman.
“That money is being paid out of the commissioners’ budget, which we did not really have any revenue to pay that,” Coffman said. “It amounts to around $60,000 per year. This put a strain on our already tight budget.”
The commissioners held three public meetings in the unincorporated areas to solicit feedback from residents on the recycling bins.
“We didn’t have a very high attendance at these meetings,” Coffman said. “In fact, at one meeting, there was no one in attendance.”
The county’s funding of the recycling program without some kind of fee to generate revenue wasn’t fair to county residents who live within municipalities with recycling fees, said Commissioner John Perkins.
“They are in fact paying twice,” Perkins said. “They are paying into the general fund, the commissioners’ budget, for the unincorporated areas, and they’re also paying an annual fee of $34 in the communities that they live in. They are subsidizing the people in the unincorporated areas.
“If at some point in the future, people petition the commissioners to [reinstate the program], we can take a look at charging a fee or other considerations,” Perkins said. “But at this point in time, I think that that $60,000 is needed elsewhere.”
After the commissioners voted to end the program, Coffman instructed the administrative staff in the commissioners’ office to poll callers who inquire about the decision to end the program on whether or not they’d be willing to pay a fee to bring it back. Perkins suggested tracking the origin of the calls to determine which areas were most heavily affected by the decision.
Coffman estimated that there are between 12 and 15 bins in the unincorporated areas, including Henryville, Carr Township and New Washington.
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