<html><head><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"></head><body dir="auto"><div><span></span></div><div><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><div><span></span></div><div><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><div><span></span></div><div><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><div><span></span></div><div><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><div>The problem isn't people abusing the system by putting out an extra can here and there. It's the city's failure to penalize people who put out all the extra little trash bags on top of and nestled around cans. Those clearly need to be tagged. Yet the collectors routinely pitch the overage into the truck without a thought or a penalty. <br><br>Why would anyone pay for a tag when the City will take the trash for free? </div><div><br></div><div>Because honest, responsible people play by the rules and pay their bills. </div><div><br></div><div>There is something wrong with punishing honest people in lieu of ticketing the freeloaders. </div><div><br></div><div>Kit Craine </div><div><br>On Jan 12, 2013, at 4:11 PM, "Bill London" <<a href="mailto:london@moscow.com">london@moscow.com</a>> wrote:<br><br></div><blockquote type="cite"><div>
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<div>I wrote to the Moscow City Council to express my concern that the council
plans to drop the Tag-it-all option for trash pickup rates. The tag-it-all
option rewards families like ours that focus on recycling with cheaper
rates. My message is reprinted below.</div>
<div> Also reprinted below are the two messages I received in
response (from Steed and Krause). They both disagreed with my support for
the tag-it-all option. </div>
<div> This message responds to those councilmembers and is
also being sent to Moscow Vision 2020 since this is an important public issue
that needs more public discussion. BL</div>
<div>-----------</div>
<div>Council members:</div>
<div> As I understand their messages, Steed and Krause don’t
like the Tag-it-all option for 2 basic reasons.</div>
<div> First, they claim Moscow residents will recycle without
any economic inducement to do so. That assessment is a violation of a
fundamental tenet of today’s Republican/conservative belief structure –
Republicans say that using economic incentives is the way to motivate
people. Steed and Krause may both be made of more noble stuff and do not
need an incentive to recycle – but I think saving money through a tag-it-all
system is a good way to get people to choose to recycle.</div>
<div> Second, they seem to be worried that the tag-it-all
system is filled with rip-offs. However, since the existing tag-it-all
system has been computerized, the scofflaws who were taking advantage of the
system have been uncovered.</div>
<div> To summarize, let’s support recycling and limit waste at
the landfill – keep the tag-it-all option.</div>
<div>BL</div>
<div> </div>
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<div style="font-color: black"><b>From:</b> <a title="wmsteed@ci.moscow.id.us" href="mailto:wmsteed@ci.moscow.id.us">Walter M Steed</a> </div>
<div><b>Sent:</b> Sunday, January 06, 2013 5:35 PM</div>
<div><b>To:</b> <a title="london@moscow.com" href="mailto:london@moscow.com">Bill
London</a> </div>
<div><b>Cc:</b> <a title="tlamar@ci.moscow.id.us" href="mailto:tlamar@ci.moscow.id.us">Tom Lamar</a> ; <a title="dcarscallen@ci.moscow.id.us" href="mailto:dcarscallen@ci.moscow.id.us">Dan
Carscallen</a> ; <a title="wkrauss@ci.moscow.id.us" href="mailto:wkrauss@ci.moscow.id.us">Wayne Krauss</a> ; <a title="sscott@ci.moscow.id.us" href="mailto:sscott@ci.moscow.id.us">Sue Scott</a>
; <a title="tbrown@ci.moscow.id.us" href="mailto:tbrown@ci.moscow.id.us">Tim
Brown</a> </div>
<div><b>Subject:</b> RE: trash</div></div></div>
<div> </div></div>
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<div style="FONT-FAMILY: tahoma; DIRECTION: ltr; COLOR: #000000; FONT-SIZE: 10pt">Bill,
<div> </div>
<div>With a subject of "trash" I almost did not open your email. The tag
system has had its place as your use of it shows. The problem is that ever
since we have been able to have trash truck drivers check what is at the curb
against what households are paying for, over two hundred new single can
subscriptions have been entered. Apparently, for years, people have taken
advantage of the system.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>I do understand your argument and am pleased you see the value in the flip
top, roller carts (just like the entire world except Moscow and a few other
places now use). </div>
<div> </div>
<div>There will still be a pay for what you use option as there will be
different size carts available at graduated rates. The family of five will
certainly need a larger cart than will you. I do not buy the argument that
people will feel obligated to fill their trash cart and not recycle as I would
like to also see us move to recycle carts that they can feel obligated to fill
as well.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>Thanks for your email and comments,<br>
<div>
<div> </div>
<div style="FONT-FAMILY: tahoma; FONT-SIZE: 13px">Walter Steed, Council Member
<div>City of Moscow<br>
<div style="FONT-FAMILY: tahoma; FONT-SIZE: 13px"></div>
<div>1345 Ridgeview Drive</div>
<div>Moscow Idaho 83843</div>
<div>208/883-0123</div>
<div> </div>
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<div><font face="Times New Roman"><font style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Bill,</font></font></div>
<div><font face="Times New Roman"><font style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Thanks for the
email.</font></font></div>
<div><font face="Times New Roman"><font style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">I see that
Councilman Steed has already responded, so I will only add a few
words.</font></font></div>
<div><font face="Times New Roman"><font style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">My wife and I
find ourselves in pretty much the same situation as you. We pay for each
individual can we set out, which, depending on whether we have any house guests,
may be 1,2 or 3 a month, but rarely 4. As you can see, the new system will cost
me a couple bucks more a month also. This will in no way affect how much we
recycle, which is quite a bit. I believe recycling is a mind set and certainly
not something folks do to save money or for convenience.</font></font></div>
<div><font face="Times New Roman"><font style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Because of the
extreme abuse by some people of the present system, it is time Moscow steps into
the 21st century and follows the example of most other
Cities.</font></font></div>
<div> </div>
<div><font face="Times New Roman"><font style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Wayne
Krauss</font></font></div>
<div><font face="Times New Roman"><font style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Moscow City
Council</font></font></div>
<div><font size="3" face="Times New Roman"></font> </div>
<div><font size="3" face="Times New Roman"></font> </div></div></div></div>
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<div style="DIRECTION: ltr" id="divRpF764522"><font color="#000000" size="2" face="Tahoma"><b>From:</b> Bill London [<a href="mailto:london@moscow.com">london@moscow.com</a>]<br><b>Sent:</b> Sunday,
January 06, 2013 1:04 PM<br><b>To:</b> Walter M Steed<br><b>Subject:</b>
trash<br></font><br></div>
<div></div>
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<div>The Moscow City Council is talking trash.</div>
<div></div>
<div>The Council wants to make all of us use new upscale lidded and wheeled
trash cans. That’s OK with me. The problem is how the Council wants us to pay
for trash pickup.</div>
<div></div>
<div>We now have a volume-based billing system. The more you waste, the more you
pay. And if you use waste only small amounts (relying on careful purchasing and
committed recycling), you are rewarded with the cheapest rate of all – what they
call the Tag-it-all option. That’s the option my family chose. We pay the $10.15
basic rate that every Moscow household pays, but we do not pay for the trash
cans used weekly. Instead we pay $1.70 to buy green tags to place on our trash
can when we do place it on the curb. Since we place our trash can out every 3 to
5 weeks, we save about $4 monthly over the single-trash-can rate.</div>
<div></div>
<div>Saving $4 a month ($50 a year) isn’t a big deal, but it is a real economic
incentive to both buy with a goal of less waste and to recycle whatever you
can.</div>
<div></div>
<div>It’s that incentive to recycle that the Council is planning to eliminate.
</div>
<div>Please do not kill the Tag-it-all option.</div>
<div></div>
<div></div>
<div>Bill London</div>
<div>Moscow
</div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>
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