Just like phone service before the break-up you will not get what you paid for. You will get what they decide you need at whatever price they want to charge.

#6 is very nice, but would be the only item on your list that Government does NOT implement.

That is, eliminate duplication of services in the interest of increasing government efficiency. A major goal would be to reduce driving on the streets of Wichita. In fact, tickets could be given to citizens caught driving without an adequate reason.

Some ideas were mentioned above.

1) Grocery stores. Permit only one large grocery store in each quadrant of the city.

2) Convenience stores. ditto. Close the rest. Turn down Quik Trip’s current application to build a new store on Ridge and K-96 near the existing Kwik Shop. This would be inefficient.

3) I notice several “key shops” here and there. Is this the most efficient use of manpower?

4) High Schools. Instead of some 10 or so Wichita high schools, combine them into one mega sky-scraper high school located in the center of downtown Wichita perhaps in the new downtown white elephant arena for which no viable use has yet to be identified.

5) City Halls. Instead of a bunch of inefficient suburban city halls such as Park City, Goddard, Haysville and Derby, combine them under the umbrella of the superior Wichita city council and administrative staff.

6) Combine Sedgwick county government and Wichita city government with nearby Kingman county government and Kingman city government to achieve economy of scale.

7) Combine all farms in Sedgwick County under one “Farm Czar” who would provide Monday morning work orders by e-mail to all sub-farmers. And follow up with inspections to insure the work is being done according to guidelines.

8) All decisions would be reviewed by a “Government Unilateral Master of Work” (acronym: GUM UP WORKS)whose decisions could not be debated EXCEPT with a “letter of transit … which even you can’t get Rick.” (From Casablanca).

9) All money transactions to be handled from a more efficient “prolatariat work center” on an an “IOU” basis to eliminate need for paper money certificates.

10) No argument or protesting allowed by common ordinary citizens challenging their superiors in government.

This would start a more efficient “citizen collectivization” in Wichita!

————————-

Yet Joe Pager didn’t list any of those things as a reason for making a Change.

Increasing Revenue is the stated goal.

And indeed, increasing the licensing fee for existing haulers is the option the Council Members reportedly preferred.

More Government Revenue – is a goal all by itself.

Utilities increase their rates to make up for the franchise fees. Just like they would any other expense.

But it makes people “feel” good. Like they are “doing something” for society….

Plus, if the City appropriated customers to the Collection companies based on their business growth. It would most likley work out in the favor for smaller companies. Since larger companies like Waste connections business growth has probably steadied out.

Can’t wait to meddle and stir things up, and ‘FIX’ everything just right.

As for what happens if you miss a payment to a Government Garbage man, you lose one finger per payment missed.

Everyone would be required to go out to the fields every day to work on THE Farm.

Don’t need A Grocery store, just go to THE Farm everyday.

If I dislike the way Waste Connections does business bad enough, say I have the choice to Choose Lies if I pay an extra 2-6 dollars a month, and the Lies and the City can split the extra Fee.

Who needs those pesky extra employees and staffs all the competing companies hire?

Gas stations? Who needs all those different brands?

Just one national gas company would do it.

That would be most efficient, right?

That would be most efficient, right?

Joe Pajor, assistant director of public works, gave council members three options to generate more revenue from trash pickup and, in some cases, improve service.

(Always the Goal of Government – MORE REVENUE.)

One was to have companies bid on one citywide contract.

That would likely reduce costs to consumers, provide uniform service to everyone and allow the city to specify what services should be offered, such as curbside recycling.

But the move would probably bump out some existing companies.

Another option would franchise parts of the city.

http://www.kansas.com/759/story/874796.html

Trash collection is a service everybody uses. It’s not like somebody is going to deny a collection service, because they don’t want to do business with that company, and take their trash themselves to the landfill every week or month, and pay the 22 dollars it costs to drop a load off at the dump.

Is one Trash Collection Company better than another? It’s pretty simple really, you leave out your trash by the curb on the said so day, and they come and take it away.

It’s not like these jobs would be run by the government. The City would just assign trash companies to certain neighbor hoods. It would probably be nicer, if we had just one trash company enter our neighborhood once a week, and get all the trash collecting done at all once. Instead of having 4 or 5 different companies entering our neighborhood all days and hours of the week. It would also make it more efficient for the trash companies, who wouldn’t have to drive to houses all over the place, they would save on gas money, by knocking out a whole neighborhood at once, without having to skip over houses because those customers do business with a different collection service. The trash collecting companies would be saving money, and so would we. Sounds like a win win situation.

How does this hurt us????

This provides control of services a provider offers, as well as a revenue source for the city. In some cases – the franchise fee may help off-set city related costs. For instance, utilities sometimes rip up streets, curbs, or sidewalks. Although the contract says the franchise has to repair to previous condition, many times they do not. There is a cost to a city to provide an inspector to review the repair.

Cable TV
Utilities (electric, gas, telephone)
trash collection is just another.

They’re all moves aimed at heading off a deficit of up to $13 million next year and $17.5 million in 2011.