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Penny wise and dollar foolish

In the year 2000, Norway Township purchased a brand-new, one-ton dump truck at a cost of $31,000. The intended uses of this vehicle were for maintenance of the township cemetery, the Vulcan Recreation Park and other appropriate needs of the township.

Another use was for the annual spring refuse collection. The board would establish two to three consecutive days when township residents could place their unwanted refuse along the roadside. The dump truck mentioned above would then pick it up and take it to the county baling facility.

The cost to the township for providing this service was about one tank of gas for the dump truck and a very small disposal fee.

To the best of my knowledge, township residents were quite satisfied with this annual event.

Last spring, the township board decided to sell the dump truck to the highest bidder. It was a shame for the board to do this, as it was in excellent condition. It only had 11,000 miles on it and was fully paid for with the taxpayer’s money.

They decided to utilize a container system, one of which was placed near the township hall. One could say the utilization of this system resulted in quite a mess. Individuals from who knows where were not only bringing their refuse to the container, but larger object such as appliances. The container was spilling onto the ground.

When all was said and done, the cost to the township taxpayers was approximately $5,200. This amount was almost half of what they sold the dump truck for; go figure!

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