The toughest 4 letter word in Plainfield and one that is certain to get people talking.
The creation of PMUA might have made sense when it was done. Depending on what information you read, it was created to help solve the illegal dumping issue in town and clean-up the downtown and/or to allow the new entity to borrow money on the bond market at lower cost (because city finances were so bad) and invest that money into upgrades to our aging sewer system. No matter the reason, there is no benefit in relitigating that decision. What we must do is analyze the independent authority in today’s world, current costs of the program to taxpayers and the current services provided. In this analysis, we should include the costs associated with dissolving the PMUA and integrating the sewer and solid waste collection into city services.
- PMUA service costs are exorbitant
- Fees are not tax deductible
- High-cost office operations that would show immediate savings once eliminated (i.e. Executive Director, CFO etc.)
- Illegal dumping is still a huge issue
- PMUA has essentially stopped recycling and sends collections to be incinerated
- Downtown garbage pick-up is inadequate and contributes to the poor conditions in our commercial zone
- PMUA Commissioners appointed by the Mayor without the Council interviewing them or even reviewing a resume of qualifications before they vote to approve – Each paid $4,500 Annually
#PlainfieldNotPolitics
McKenna4Mayor 