Kokomo — Consolidating the Kokomo Street and Howard County Highway departments would be tough to accomplish and the savings would be minimal, the department heads agreed.
The final public forum hosted by the Citizens Committee for Consolidation, held Wednesday on the Indiana University Kokomo campus, focused on the two departments and privatization of trash collection.
Ted Cain, superintendent of the county highway department, said the department is currently employing seven fewer employees than in 1992 and is providing better services.
He said the fact that city workers are members of a union while county employees are not would be among the difficulties officials would face in consolidating the two departments. Additionally, he said, county workers receive less pay.
“Our trucks are built heavier because of the snow drifts out in the county,” Cain said. “A concern is if someone else determines how the money is spent, will most of the money go to the city?”
Cain said the county has a paving program in all 11 townships and said he was concerned some of the paved roads would be returned to gravel if there was a consolidation.
“I believe we should cooperate, not consolidate,” he said. “We used to work with the street department great, I would like to see that again. City and county department heads should be allowed to work together as they used to.”
When asked about joint purchasing, Joe Ewing, the head of the Kokomo Street Department, said there is different equipment used by each department and the two departments complete projects, like paving, in a different manner.
He said salt and bituminous purchases are already let out for bid.
“There may be some things we can save on by purchasing together,” Ewing said. “[Consolidation] would be tough, there would not be much in the way of savings.”
Ritchie Halfacre, with the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees union, said consolidating the two departments would mean less services and a loss of jobs.
Kevin Boyce, with Waste Management, discussed the advantages of turning over the city’s trash collection to a private company.
Boyce said the city would have less debt because it would no longer make large investments and could receive some funding by the sale of existing equipment. Additionally, a private company would be responsible for general liability and environmental compliance and there would be greater flexibility in adding or cutting services, he said.
A private company would increase efficiencies and bring innovation to the service, he said.
Boyce said a Reasons Foundation study found municipalities would save between 20 and 40 percent on a national average through a public-private partnership.
He said concerns would be the loss of job, loss of public control and financial stability.
Boyce said a private company would hire city employees at a higher salary and better benefits, and the local community would have control in the awarding of contracts.
“It’s a choice for Kokomo,” he said. “There would be a cost savings and better services.”
Ewing said the city has reduced the number of collection routes from 25 to 18 and is looking to purchase vehicles in the future that operate on natural gas instead of diesel fuel.
Halfacre said city workers are responsible to taxpayers while a company is responsible to its share holders.
He said city workers have not received a pay increase for four years and agreed not to receive a raise for 2012.
“Under privatization, services will dwindle,” Halfacre said, “which is something the residents of Kokomo don’t want.”