Last week the TR reported about a City Council meeting that discussed and declined an offer from an Eldora waste hauler to do business in Marshalltown. The general reasoning for refusal seemed to be that the Council “has a study underway.” That in itself is scary. Any time the City gets involved, the taxpayer will foot the bill, and the bill will be higher than the free market would determine.

A few years ago, Mayor Beach became concerned about heavy waste trucks damaging City streets. His thought at the time was to divide the City into separate areas, restricting haulers to their separate pick-up area. That idea went over like the proverbial lead balloon. Who would get the sections of town that haulers don’t like? Who would pay for the service? Tax homeowners? Which City employees are underemployed and would handle billing, payments, enforcement, and complaints?

It’s surprising that the Council so easily dismissed the request from Eldora. After all, 20 trucks hauling 2,000 tons would make fewer trips than 10 trucks. It’s pretty much a fixed amount that goes to the landfill every week.

Has it been accurately determined that garbage trucks weigh considerably more than other vehicles when their weight is determined by their footprint? In pounds per square inch, a sheep weighs more than a horse. That’s why they’re called sheep’s-foot rollers. How about other delivery vehicles? How much additional wear can be attributed to waste haulers? If that can be accurately determined, require each truck to pay for a street permit to do business in Marshalltown. Otherwise, keep the City out of waste collections.