As you may recall, for just $33 per household per year, Manalapan could have maintained two trash pickups and one recycling day each week for 14,000 households. But the Township Committee decided we would rather keep our $33 than have our trash collected and cut services by half.
The township arranged for individual households to restore some of their service by paying $300 per year “out of pocket” directly to the trash company and 800 households signed up right away.
The trash company got almost two-thirds of the increase the township would not pay, while servicing roughly 13,000 fewer households. Now it seems Mayor Jack McNaboe is encouraging more unfair, direct negotiations.
Townhome communities were particularly impacted by the new trash contract and told the township could do nothing for them.
Instead, at a meeting with the Oak Knolls Homeowners Association, Mayor McNaboe offered to help negotiate “a special community deal” with the trash company.
The HOA opted to negotiate on its own, coming back with an offer homeowners voted down. It did involve a lower annual fee than households elsewhere in Manalapan were paying. Feels unfair. And unreasonable. Why should anyone pay extra for a service that could be available to everyone for $33?
Manalapan leaders need to fix their mistake; not pass the burden and the buck onto residents.
Robert Petreanu
Manalapan
