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The TalkGwinnett Express Yourself Forums :: Express Yourself Gwinnett |
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Subject :How much trash does a vacant home produce?..
07/24/2010 12:49
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| Lisa Oden |
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Joined: 06/29/2010 09:15
Posts: 5
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Like many, I scratch my head wondering why when it comes to our beloved new trash plan. I've added to the Why, a Who a When and a How Much?
How much trash does a vacant home produce? Why should they be billed for trash service they will not use? When is it payable? To Whom will this money go?
As a Realtor, I see many homes vacant either by foreclosure, or a seller who has already moved and has his/her home on the market. Nobody lives there, NO trash is generated. Most of these homes remain vacant for exteded periods of time. Will they be billed for trash service? It seems to me that they will. Who will recieve this money for which NO service is provided?
Smells kind of trashy to me.  |
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Subject :Re:How much trash does a vacant home produce?..
07/24/2010 16:21
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| Peg Murray |
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Joined: 08/29/2008 10:31
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Your ponderings and head scratchings are not unfounded. Methinks the "trash tax" on the vacant homes is a sly way of increasing income to the county. Much of this new trash tax has a fishy smell to it. |
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Subject :Re:How much trash does a vacant home produce?..
07/25/2010 18:48
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| Lisa Oden |
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Joined: 06/29/2010 09:15
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Thanks Peg. What is really disturbing me, is the high number of homes in this category. If there were only a few, I probably wouldn't spend too much time thinking about it. They are present in extremely high numbers. I would love to know what happens with these. I'm betting no exceptions or plan to adddress these is in place. |
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Subject :Re:How much trash does a vacant home produce?..
07/27/2010 00:30
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| Art |
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| Mad Dog 20/20 |
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Joined: 11/29/1999 19:00
Posts: 22
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How much would it cost to administrate exceptions to the trash plan? Who pays for the employee to go out and check out a homeowners claims for the exemption? That's the crux of the matter. Now if we could figure out the cost per home and charge a fee for providing the exemption (i.e. all associated administrative costs) it would work. Yet the homeowner still gets stuck paying a bill for nothing. On the other hand if my home never burns or is broken into I am paying for police and fire services I never used. Should I ask for an exemption because I didn't use those government services. Yes, that wouldn't be an argument before the plan was implemented but it is valid now. |
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Subject :Re:How much trash does a vacant home produce?..
07/27/2010 10:21
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| Lisa Oden |
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Joined: 06/29/2010 09:15
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Hi Art, Thank you for your comment.
I certainly do not advocate another additional dime to be spend on the administration of exceptions. This is yet another example of how ludicrist this trash plan is. Paying for fire, police or emergency services is something different. I hope that I NEVER need them, but am truly happy to know they are there. Trash pickup??? The companies and the county get a guaranteed revenue stream for a non-emergency service. How nice it would be to be guaranteed a steady stream of income from a specific location. Would make marketing much easier and less expensive. But, to get that money from a group of people powerless to opt out of services they may not even be receiving???
However, when a home is foreclosed a foreclosure deed is generated. That should be sufficient to take a residence off the service list. It won't help those selling a vacant home, but will help the already foreclosed homes. I'm not crying tears for the banks that take back the homes, "just sayin" those costs all get passed along in some shape or fashion. Gotta love the new "trash tax". |
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Subject :Re:How much trash does a vacant home produce?..
07/27/2010 20:35
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| Art |
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| Mad Dog 20/20 |
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Joined: 11/29/1999 19:00
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Lisa,
There is no question the plan isn't perfect but many governments collect trash for good reasons. The government provides other services that we pay for but don't always use. The reasons behind the trash plan will benefit the citizens in the long run where it passes cost savings onto most homeowners from efficiences the trash haulers gain by driving less miles to service the same number of people. They save on the cost of billing every quarter which should be passed onto us as well. We gain by less wear and tear of heavy trucks on the roads as well as less pollution because of elss miles driven by these heavily polluting trucks. Less pollution saves on medical costs for those particularlr sensitive to the pollutants and to all of us brathing less pollutants. Unfortunately some people were adversly affected by the plan to benefit the majority. While I don't agree with some provisions of the plan such as the price which I believe should have been less under the current plan than the plan proposed by Gwinnett Clean & Beautiful in 2008 and billing the first 18 months all up front when it could have broken the payment schedule up to quarterly and only for the first five quarters when the next annual tax bill could have contained the charges for the last quarter of 2011 and going forward of four quarters at a time. |
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Subject :Re:How much trash does a vacant home produce?..
07/28/2010 11:46
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| Thomas Welton |
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Joined: 06/14/2010 17:33
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Could you please tell me which Gwinnett County Department you work for or use to work for and/or any political positions you have held?
Thanks |
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Subject :Re:How much trash does a vacant home produce?..
07/28/2010 15:33
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| Peg Murray |
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Joined: 08/29/2008 10:31
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Sorry I'm not buying the argument that the trash plan is passing down savings through efficiencies. Nor, do I agree about the pollution. More school busses run through this county than a host of garbage trucks. My argument since the get go was that the county did not try to solve the problems they perceived at their source. (i.e. illegal dumping). And at one of the forums prior to the plan being implemented, an official from the state in charge of trash compliance, stated that the county was in "full compliance".
And to Mr. W. my answer is none. |
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Subject :Re:How much trash does a vacant home produce?..
07/28/2010 17:48
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| Lisa Oden |
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Joined: 06/29/2010 09:15
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Thanks to all for your comments.
Art - I appreciate your well crafted comment. Again, I have no problem paying for emergency services I will hopefully not need.  Somehow, I've really not payed much attention to multiple garbage trucks on my street. It really has never bothered me. As far as bringing a benefit to the citizens - I don't buy it. Maybe if the service providers did a better job of marketing to HOA's and communities, they would have maintained a better market share. It is in no way the responsibility of county government, or any other government to assist private companies in reducing their billing or operational costs by mandating service areas or prices. Again, I do appreciate your view but respectfully disagree.
Mr. W - No county governemt positions or political offices for this girl.
Peg - I'm with you, it's a weak solution to a weak platform. Our county has greater issues to address. I truly wish that I could have attended one of the forums.  |
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Subject :Re:How much trash does a vacant home produce?..
07/29/2010 08:53
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| Dot Richard |
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Joined: 07/08/2010 09:22
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I don't know to whom Mr. W addressed that question but I would like for Art to answer that as during my involvement from the beginning of the trash fiasco I have discovered that many of that kind of reply was from the enemy. |
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Subject :Re:Re:How much trash does a vacant home produce?..
07/29/2010 15:30
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| GTL |
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Joined: 11/29/1999 19:00
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Art Wrote on 07/27/2010 20:35:
Lisa,
The reasons behind the trash plan will benefit the citizens in the long run where it passes cost savings onto most homeowners from efficiences the trash haulers gain by driving less miles to service the same number of people. They save on the cost of billing every quarter which should be passed onto us as well. We gain by less wear and tear of heavy trucks on the roads as well as less pollution because of elss miles driven by these heavily polluting trucks. Less pollution saves on medical costs for those particularlr sensitive to the pollutants and to all of us brathing less pollutants.
When should I expect my savings? I'm now paying more for less service plus the added benefit that I cannot change providers!
This is ludicrous - nothing more than another money grab supplying additional opportunities for graft to benefit the ruling class, not the citizens. |
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