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By John Laidler, Globe Correspondent | November 16, 2008 A Malden citizens' group says it is closing in on a goal of collecting 10,000 signatures on a petition calling to rescind the city's new pay-as-you-throw trash program.
Bob Miller, chairman of the Malden Taxpayers for Accountability, said the group had filed 4,020 signatures by the end of October and has since gathered a significant number of new signatures, many collected outside polling places at the Nov. 4 state election.
"We are very happy. On Election Day there were 20,000 voters, and we did exceptionally well in gathering signatures," Miller said. While not disclosing numbers, he said the group is approaching its target of 10,000 raw signatures.
If the group turns in 2,400 certified signatures, or 8 percent of the city's 30,000 registered voters, the City Council would have 20 days to rescind the pay-as-you-throw program or place the matter on the city election ballot next November, said City Clerk Karen Anderson. If it files at least 5,800 signatures, or 20 percent of registered voters, the council would have to rescind the program within 20 days or schedule a special election within 30 to 45 days of that date. The trash program, approved by the council June 26 and begun on Oct. 6, requires residents to buy city-approved bags for their trash to be pickup curbside. Currently, a 33-gallon bag costs $2. Starting in January, 15-gallon bags will be available for $1.
City officials say the program was needed to help Malden balance its fiscal 2009 books, estimating it will generate $2.4 million in revenue and save $600,000 by lowering trash disposal costs since residents will recycle more.
Opponents, however, maintain that the fee is an unfair and burdensome tax.
"There are a lot of people out there that just can't afford it right now," Miller said, adding that many also object to "paying for a service they've already paid for in their taxes."
Anderson said her office reviewed 420 signatures presented by the group on Sept. 10, certifying 343 of them. Next week, she expects to begin reviewing another 3,600 signatures submitted Sept. 29 and Oct. 30. The office is only now getting to that review because it was busy with elections.
The final certified signature tally will be determined once Miller's group notifies the clerk's office that the petition drive is over. Anderson would then have five days to certify any remaining signatures, after which - if a sufficient number are certified - the 20-day window for council action would begin.
While 10,000 raw signatures would appear to exceed what is needed to put the proposed repeal in front of the council, Miller said his group believes it needs that many to sway councilors.
"We need to send a message to the council that people are outraged at the decision that was made and how it was made," Miller said, noting that many petitioners believe the city should have consulted more with residents before adopting the fee.
Anderson said city rules require that in addition to receiving a simple majority, a citizen-sponsored ballot measure must receive favorable votes from at least a third of the city's registered voters to pass; currently, that would mean at least 10,000 votes.
Mayor Richard C. Howard does not anticipate that he and the council would reconsider the program for this fiscal year. But he said he would take into account the petition in preparing the fiscal 2010 budget "within the context of the reasoning we laid out in rolling out the program."
"We are not suffering from any delusion that people like to pay any more for government services than they think they have to. But the program has gone off extremely well," he said, estimating that it has close to full compliance and that the increase in recycling has exceeded expectations.
Everett officials earlier this month reported issuing more than $1,800 in fines to Malden residents for illegal trash dumping, speculating that the violators may have been trying to avoid paying Malden's new trash fee. Howard said illegal trash dumping has been minimal, and that Malden has told its neighboring communities it would be glad to provide any assistance they might need in investigating illegal dumping by Malden residents.
Greg Cooper, director of consumer programs for the state Department of Environmental Protection, said 130 cities and towns have Pay-As-You-Throw programs. His agency encourages the policy.
"It's been proven to dramatically increase recycling rates," he said, noting that those rates are typically 10 to 15 percentage points higher in communities with the program.
Cooper said Malden's program is off to a good start.
"They took a lot of time to plan and coordinate the implementation. My understanding is that that implementation has gone extremely smoothly," he said.
Howard said the city has responded to concerns about the fee posing a hardship to some residents by adding the $1 trash bag option. He is also seeking council approval to allocate $25,000 in the city's federal Community Development Block Grant funds to help homeowners in need to meet the cost of the fee.
City Council president Gary J. Christenson, who voted against adopting the program, does not sense a desire by councilors to reconsider it as yet. Members "are curious to see a few more months of how the program is going before making any judgment," he said.
Referring to the petition drive, Christenson said, "If nothing else, one of the greatest outcomes of this is that citizens are back involved in trying to make a difference in this community."
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