Editorial: Delay garbage extension

Sunday, July 11, 1999 | 9:12 a.m.

Ideally there would be a valleywide governing body of elected officials who would decide which company -- or companies -- will provide garbage collection here. There should be uniformity in the collection and disposal of our waste, but for now that isn't the case: Each government in Southern Nevada issues its own franchise.

Last month the Clark County Commission granted a contract extension to Silver State, giving the company a 15-year monopoly to pick up trash in the unincorporated parts of the county. In exchange the company agreed to pay $36 million to clean up the Sunrise Mountain landfill, relieving the county of legal liability from any lawsuits filed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Now Silver State wants a 15-year extension with the city of Las Vegas, also agreeing to indemnify the city regarding the landfill. The problem with this line of thinking, though, is that EPA officials have indicated that they don't intend to hold the city liable. In addition, considering that the contract with the city is set to expire in fewer than two years, there hardly seems a reason to act quickly on this.

If the City Council, which is set to vote Monday on the contract extension, feels the contract should be renewed before it expires, the least it could do is hold extensive hearings on this issue first to get the public's input. Does the contract require strong enough guarantees that the good customer service Silver State currently provides will continue? Are there other potential competitors out there who might have an interest to enter the market and compete for the franchise in two years?

There has been hardly any time allowed for the public to exhaustively review the contract extension. Monday's vote by the council should be postponed until more hearings are held. At this time there are too many unanswered questions to go forward with such a lengthy contract.

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