NEWSPAPER ARTICLE
Text from Recorder & Times Newspaper Article
Thursday, March 6, 2014 - Pg A5
By Alanah Duffy
CHAIRMAN RESIGNS FROM COMMITTEE
NEW DUBLIN - The chairman of Elizabethtown-Kitley's waste management committee has tendered his resignation, saying he doesn't feel the current council has respect for the committee.
Brant Burrow, who has chaired the committee for two years, resigned a day after a budget meeting on the waste management department that he said was extremely frustrating.
"I just don't think that the council or the staff really respect the work that the waste management committee has been doing over the last little while," Burrow said.
"I think that's obvious in the way they receive the information and do nothing about it."
At the budget meeting Monday, council examined a report by staff on its waste management options. Council has decided selling or contracting out waste site operations are off the table and has asked staff to bring another report examining more options for the waste site.
Burrow said he took issue with a number of things at the meeting, including some figures in the report and council "ignoring" a report with detailed analysis previously done by the waste management committee.
"It frustrated me, because if you take a look at the other report that the waste management committee has provided to them, that's the very work that staff just asked council to direct them to do," he said.
"That, to me, was the straw on the camel's back. That justified that council has no respect for the waste management committee."
Burrow is not the first committee member to resign because of council's conduct. Three years ago, Allan Markell resigned from the township's planning advisory committee after 15 years on the committee, where he spent half that time as chairman.
Markell said his resignation was prompted by council overriding decisions of the committee regarding zoning bylaws.
"On two occasions, the council overruled recommendations from our committee, which went against bylaws," he said.
"That discouraged me. I thought, if they're not going to play by the rules, there's no use in carrying on."
Township mayor Jim Pickard said he is not discouraged by the resignation of two committee members during his council's administration.
"We are, I believe, confidently doing our due diligence," he said.
"One doesn't like to see it, but certainly the individuals have a right to do that if they just don't agree with council's direction."
Burrow will continue to be involved with a group he helped found, Elizabethtown-Kitley Citizens for Open Government. He is not planning to run for council in this year's election.
In his letter of resignation, Burrow challenged council to hold an open and public debate on the issue of waste management in the township.
"I think it's important for people to be involved in the process of reviewing these options and making tough decisions," he said.
Brant Burrow, who has chaired the committee for two years, resigned a day after a budget meeting on the waste management department that he said was extremely frustrating.
"I just don't think that the council or the staff really respect the work that the waste management committee has been doing over the last little while," Burrow said.
"I think that's obvious in the way they receive the information and do nothing about it."
At the budget meeting Monday, council examined a report by staff on its waste management options. Council has decided selling or contracting out waste site operations are off the table and has asked staff to bring another report examining more options for the waste site.
Burrow said he took issue with a number of things at the meeting, including some figures in the report and council "ignoring" a report with detailed analysis previously done by the waste management committee.
"It frustrated me, because if you take a look at the other report that the waste management committee has provided to them, that's the very work that staff just asked council to direct them to do," he said.
"That, to me, was the straw on the camel's back. That justified that council has no respect for the waste management committee."
Burrow is not the first committee member to resign because of council's conduct. Three years ago, Allan Markell resigned from the township's planning advisory committee after 15 years on the committee, where he spent half that time as chairman.
Markell said his resignation was prompted by council overriding decisions of the committee regarding zoning bylaws.
"On two occasions, the council overruled recommendations from our committee, which went against bylaws," he said.
"That discouraged me. I thought, if they're not going to play by the rules, there's no use in carrying on."
Township mayor Jim Pickard said he is not discouraged by the resignation of two committee members during his council's administration.
"We are, I believe, confidently doing our due diligence," he said.
"One doesn't like to see it, but certainly the individuals have a right to do that if they just don't agree with council's direction."
Burrow will continue to be involved with a group he helped found, Elizabethtown-Kitley Citizens for Open Government. He is not planning to run for council in this year's election.
In his letter of resignation, Burrow challenged council to hold an open and public debate on the issue of waste management in the township.
"I think it's important for people to be involved in the process of reviewing these options and making tough decisions," he said.
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