(Letter to the Editor - Photo Illustration - MetroCreativeConnection)

The Parkersburg city council approved a resolution to have a town hall meeting Jan. 6 at 6 p.m. to help our neighbors understand what is being considered for outside contracts for sanitation. This is a start to repair the problems that have continued to grow for months starting with the employees asking for a raise in wages over a year ago.

After multiple council meetings and public forums the council decided to change the public forum so the issue could not be mentioned at council meetings unless it was on the agenda.

Then the council raised the number of council persons needed to put an issue for discussion on the agenda from 3 to 4 to block concerns being raised. Now the mayor and a small committee are looking at contracts from outside companies to take over sanitation for the city of Parkersburg.

I would like the city to show what it would take to keep the sanitation department we have invested in running. Outside contractors are in business to make a profit. The city of Parkersburg should be able to run the department as a service and therefore provide for the needs of the citizens as they have done for years. The city of Parkersburg operates one of the largest municipal recycling centers in West Virginia. The recycling facility is no longer accepting materials from commercial haulers — a practice for which Mayor Tom Joyce said the city has not been compensated for years. Vienna residents pay a fee to have recyclables picked up by commercial contractors who have been dropping it off for free in Parkersburg. Circumstances change over time. It may now be profitable to charge for the use of our recycling center to help finance our sanitation department.

I attended an informational meeting a few weeks ago put together by a citizen and former council person. After reviewing the detailed cost analysis developed by Jeff Fox it indicates the city could continue to provide sanitation service with just a few changes and keep the city running smoothly as the public works department has done.

Beside just considering a contract from a private company the council should be given the opportunity to consider a city-run sanitation department when it is run correctly and compare that to what an outside company will provide.

It seems the norm for our city is to let things decay until it’s easier to demolish instead of repair.

Here is a list of council members and their phone numbers available on the city website

* Dave McCrady 304-588-7644

* Sharon Kuhl 304-485-8980

* Roger Brown 304-210-6045

* Wendy Tuck 304-482-4330

* Zak Huffman 681-551-9717

* Mike Reynolds 304-834-0708

* Chris Rexroad 304-917-2600

* Andrew Borkowski 304-893-4036

* Rob Moore 304-893-1743

If you cannot attend the meeting please take the time to call a member of council and air your concerns for what will be a major change if enacted. Now is the time to repair what is broken, not just wash our hands of the problem and make all of us pay the price.

Cathy Whitlatch

Parkersburg