Letter to the Editor: Vote Yes on Solid Waste Millage Renewal

The following letter was sent to Royal Oak Patch by Tom Regan, a Royal Oak resident:

Please vote "yes" this November 8th to renew the Royal Oak solid waste millage, Charter Amendment Proposal A.
 
This is a renewal, not a tax increase.  The amount is one mil.  If the assessed value of your home is $75,000, this means you pay about $6 per month.
 
We get a lot for that $6.  It makes curb-side recycling bins possible.  Instead of paying a fee to dump our newspapers, cans, bottles and plastics into a landfill, the city can sell the stuff to companies that recycle our waste into new products.
 
The solid waste millage also funds curb-side leaf cleanup.  How nice to simply blow leaves to the curb and have the city pick them up, turn them into compost, and then distribute that compost free-of-charge back to city residents to spread on lawns and gardens.  That makes much more sense then bagging leaves and paying a fee to dump them into a landfill.    
 
The millage also pays for recycling at schools and businesses, recycling and disposal of hazardous materials, bulk item pickup, and more.
 
Not bad for $6 per month!  Imagine how much you would have to pay out-of-pocket if the millage failed and the city could no longer afford to provide these services.  It would be a lot more than $6.
 
Please vote "yes" on Charter Amendment Proposal A, to renew the Royal Oak solid waste millage.
 
Sincerely,
Tom Regan, Royal Oak