New Officer, Free Parking, Trash and Recycling Contract

Newly-elected mayor Marty Spiegel swears in newly -hired Swarthmore Police Officer George Dunn. Photo by Chief Raymond Stufflet.

Swarthmore Borough Council led off its monthly legislative session on Tuesday night with the ceremonial swearing of new police officer George Dunn, who was celebrated by a throng of fellow and family members. Officer Dunn actually began in the job last week following his official oath of office.

Council president David Creagan congratulated council members Mary Walk and Ross Schmucki on their reelection, new member Jill Gaieski upon her election, and Mayor Marty Spiegel on election to his first full term. Gaieski will replace Creagan on Council as of the upcoming reorganization meeting.

General Government Committee chair Sarah Graden moved, and Council unanimously adopted that Free Parking Fridays be held in the town center from November 29 through December 27. Parking at meters (except 12 hour meters) will be free between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m.

Graden also proposed and Council voted unanimously in favor of a $7,000 annual raise in the base salary of borough manager Jane Billings. Her salary will now be $116,315 for the coming year. Member Ross Schmucki expressed the view of Council that Billings is an excellent manager, and noted that during the years following financial collapse of 2008, the manager’s salary actually was reduced. “This is a merit raise, but also making up for the loss … at that time.”

Council devoted the bulk of its time at the meeting to consideration and acceptance of bids for collection of trash, yard waste, and recycling within the borough. In past years, recycling bids and contracts included removal and processing of all recyclable materials. The past year has seen market uncertainties and processing cost increases which prompted Council to seek a split approach and solicit a round of bids in which hauling and transport of recycling were separated from processing of recyclables. This approach yielded the most favorable combination of service, price, and the promise of higher levels of recyclable materials within the stream. 

Incumbent contractor B & L Disposal proposed a contract with trash and recycling hauling prices almost identical to 2019, and no increase in yard waste charges. Two vendors ­— Mascaro and Republic — furnished bids for processing of recycling. Mascaro committed to an unchanging fee over the coming two years, regardless of the components they find in the recycling stream mix. Republic offered a potentially slightly lower fee per ton processed, but would have retained the right to more than double the fee if the mix of components found in Swarthmore’s recycling stream (e.g. aluminum, plastic, glass) turned out to be less lucrative than anticipated due to market changes.

Emphasizing the value of cost certainty, Billings recommended selection of Mascaro for this component of the service, noting that “One of the nice things is that this is a very short term contract, so we can change our minds and do things very differently in two years. We might know a lot more about recycling by then.” 

Schmucki said, “We got really valuable input from a group of people experienced in recycling in our community.” Members of this group advocated taking on the marketplace uncertainty as a means to change the behavior of consumers by giving them incentive to improve their recycling habits. Schmucki echoed the borough manager’s observation that the short two-year term of the contract would enable the borough to observe trends and make better decisions in the future, with limited exposure to cost fluctuations. He encouraged members of the group to be part of future decision-making.

Council voted 6 to 1 in favor of adoption of the split contract, with B & L Disposal handling all trash and yard waste functions, as well as picking up and hauling recycling, which Mascaro will process. The cost of the total waste disposal contract will increase household expenses by approximately $30 in the year 2020 over this year. That represents an 8.3% increase.