To the Editor:
The city of Hermann is looking to raise the rates for sewer and trash collection.
While it is reasonable to expect prices on services to increase over time, due to inflationary issues, operating cost increases, etc., it is not reasonable to restrict the use of those services. Mainly the limit that is being imposed on the number of trash bags allowed a week.
My concern is that this limit is going to punish those who have large families and who are trying to save money by eating at home. It is very easy to fill up 8 bags of trash in a week if you are feeding 3 kids at least twice a day on home cooked meals. And paying almost a dollar a bag over 8 bags may not seem like much until you add that additional cost to a family’s already overstretched monthly budget.
I have not read the bill, but what are the size of the bags allowed?
Small kitchen bags? Regular size garbage bags or can we use 55 gallon drum bags? Are they all considered one bag no matter the size or will those who use larger bags eventually be asked to pay more? Who is counting the bags and who is verifying they will be accurately counted if there is a dispute?
Will the city need to employ a garbage bag counter in order to ensure everyone’s bag is fairly counted?
Worse yet, if the city feels it can limit the number of trash bags citizens can use when using a service the citizens are paying for, will the city then begin to limit other services? Will they eventually dictate how many gallons of water that can be used, how much electricity is allocated a day, or how many times we can flush the toilet?
I would encourage the city of Hermann to raise rates of services only if absolutely necessary. But I would caution them to take care and not to travel down the nightmarish road of government overreach.
Because history has shown tyranny begins small, and when that tiny, almost seemingly harmless infringement is ignored, it can and does grow into a dystopian nightmare.
Robert Guidry
Hermann
