Thursday, Sept. 4, 2008 | midnight
Where's the backbone on the Clark County Commission when it comes to dealing with the local garbage monopoly, Republic Services?
Republic has signed an agreement with the Environmental Protection Agency and the Justice Department promising to spend the money needed to finish the cleanup and to properly seal the shuttered Sunrise Landfill. But that didn't mean the hauler would spend its own money. Republic, in fact, wants to pass the cost on to residential and commercial ratepayers over the next 10 years.
Commissioners last month had an opportunity to make it clear that Republic, not ratepayers, must bear the $30 million cost of finishing the work.
The commissioners voted 4-2 to postpone their decision on whether Republic should be allowed to raise collection fees to pay for the work on the landfill. The postponement will give county staff time to present the commissioners with cleanup options. But, in our view, this issue has been studied enough. There's only one option, which is that Republic alone must pay for the cleanup.
Instead of delaying action on this issue, commissioners should require Republic to keep the promise it made in 1999 to take care of the landfill work. Republic made that promise when its county monopoly, which was scheduled to expire in 2020, was extended for an additional 15 years.
We applaud Commissioner Chris Giunchigliani for her strong stand in favor of ratepayers on this issue.
She pointed out that Republic has made so much money on its garbage contract that it can easily afford to finish the landfill work. "Our job is not to help you recoup your costs," she told Republic. "A deal is a deal is a deal."
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