EDISON — The fate of the township’s leaf bag program is unclear, despite a vote against the program by the Township Council.
Approval would have enabled the township to purchase 200,000 30-gallon leaf bags for distribution to residents in bundles of 20 or 40 in late September and early October.
At the Aug. 19 meeting, however, residents spoke in opposition of the effort, saying the money could be better spent.
When it came to a vote, the result was a tie: Council President Robert Diehl and council members Wayne Mascola and Sapana Shah voted against buying the bags, while councilmen Robert Karabinchak, Michael Lombardi and Alvaro Gomez supported the purchase. A tie in Edison means the motion does not carry. Councilman Sudhanshu Prasad was absent.
Following the vote, Mayor Thomas Lankey released a statement saying the council may not have realized that the program would actually be funded by a state recycling grant. According to Lankey, the bags are purchased through the Somerset County Cooperative from supplier Dano Enterprises of Stanford, Conn., at a cost of .325 cents each.
Edison receives that money from a state Department of Environmental Protection grant, based on the volume of recyclables the town collects annually, he said. The leaf bag program had been discontinued five years ago, but last year Lankey brought it back.
“Some council members may not have realized that the entire cost for our leaf bags would be paid with our state recycling grant, not with tax dollars,” township Business Administrator Maureen Ruane said.
Diehl confirmed after the meeting that he did not know that a grant funded the bags, and added that he doesn’t know why the council didn’t have that information as it prepared to vote. He added, however, that having that new information doesn’t mean he’ll automatically reconsider.
“It depends on what else we can use the grant money for,” he said.
Diehl said he knows some residents appreciate the program, but added that not all residents use the bags. He also said the township may be able to get the bags for less cost — an important element, he said, as Edison continues to face rising taxes and replacement costs for items lost in the January fire at the public works building.
Diehl said he’s not against the program, but the council has to ask itself questions, such as, “Would that $65,000 be better spent on a salt spreader?” He added, however, that he would need to investigate whether a spreader would be an allowable purchase with the grant money.
Lankey said he will ask the council to reconsider approving the leaf bag program at its Sept. 9 meeting.
“Their vote could delay Edison’s timely purchase and delivery of leaf bags to our residents,” Ruane said.
Towns have until early November to get leaf bags through the co-op.