John Hammer in the Dumpster: Could the White Street Landfill save Greensboro $100 million, or $175 million?

"Greensboro could save about $100 million over the next 25 years by using the White Street Landfill according to an independent analyst...

...Mayor Bill Knight, a retired certified public accountant announced earlier this year that his figures showed the city would save over $7 million a year by using the White Street Landfill instead of shipping all of our garbage to the Uwharries. If you take Knight's number and multiply it out you come up with a minimum savings over 25 years of $175 million...

How would Greensboro's residents to know if reopening the landfill is a good idea,

if the City of Greensboro refuses to release basic financial information to the public?

...The estimated savings of $100 million was based on an extremely conservative estimate of costs increasing at 1 percent a year. The cost of landfill space is skyrocketing.

If landfill costs have almost never gone higher by less than 1%

why would Rashad Young or his subordinates

accept and present a landfill savings analysis based on unrealistic assumptions?
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Has the Greensboro News & Record, Yes Weekly or any TV stations

reported the $175 million figure,

or the possible manipulation of the analysts data?

...One of the recurring themes of the meeting voiced by Council members Dianne Bellamy-Small, Jim Kee and Robbie Perkins was that the landfill should not be reopened...
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If a few purchased relatively inexpensive homes

near a landfill established more than 60 years ago,

why should the many unaffected who may have paid more for their residences

to avoid potential hazards and easements,

be taxed to have trash shipped elsewhere during a recession?
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Why would Robbie Perkins vehemently oppose a policy

that could save the city about $175 million over 25 years?

...both Knight and Council member Danny Thompson said they did not think reopening the landfill was off the table.

How could a majority of Greensboro taxpayers feel about what could be

Mr. Perkins willingness to exchange about $175 million of other people's property taxes

for the chance to become Greensboro's Mayor?

...The consultant reminded the City Council that when the city operated the landfill that the city charged private haulers for dumping their garbage at the landfill, but the city trucks were not charged because the fees from the private haulers covered the cost of operating the landfill.
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Why would Mr. Perkins put his personal political interests

above those of the majority of Greensboro taxpayers and their children?

One former city council member, who was asked about the landfill operation before the meeting, remembered the landfill fund balance was a place the council went when it needed money because the landfill operated at a considerable profit.

John Hammer
Rhino Times

If many well run businesses and educated workers could be attracted by what could be

a financially sound well managed municipality with relatively low tax rates,

as what may be the worst recession since the Great Depression

transitions into a new era of economic growth,

why would Robbie Perkins want to not do what's best for the City of Greensboro?