Occasionally, the need for a full-time Logan County Solid Waste Coordinator becomes an issue of public discourse.

As I prepare a new Solid Waste Management Plan for Logan County as is required by Commonwealth law, the issue has surfaced once again.

I have been the Logan County Solid Waste Coordinator for seven years now, since Aug. 1, 1995. The question: has the county benefited from my tenure in this position? What would be different, if the position of Solid Waste Coordinator had been eliminated back in 1995?

While no one can second guess history, I can speculate what the county would be like if I hadn't initiated certain programs or taken particular actions over the years.

Before I discus what might not of been, let's discuss my salary. My salary and my budget do not come from county taxes, but from the fees paid by the landfill to the county. When I was hired in 1995, my annual salary was $17,245 and I have received annual 5% raises each year since.

As for my qualifications, I have two masters degrees, one in Biology and one in Management.

The first thing the county would not have is the "Free" Dump Day on the first Saturday of the month. Prior to my being hired, the county had signed a host agreement that allow for one free week of waste disposal for the citizens of Logan County. During the first two years of my tenure, Logan Countians were able to dispose of about 1600 tons of waste for free.

I realize that this system was impractical for most Logan Countians, since the free disposal was conducted during during the week. So I negotiated with landfill management to have the free disposal on the first Saturday of each month, and free disposal for dump cleanups.

Since then, the citizens of Logan County have disposed of over 10,000 tons of trash for free, saving over $300,000 in disposal costs. From 1998 to February 2002, the only agreement for a free disposal day on the first Saturday was a handshake between the owners of the landfill and myself.

In February 2002 the landfill and the county signed a "Host Agreement." I negotiated that made free disposal on the first Saturday of the month a permanent agreement for the next 10 years.

The second thing that Logan County would not have is a county-run recycling program where our citizens can recycle glass, paper, paper, and cans. I realized in 1998 that there was a growing desire among the population to do something positive for the environment and that the majority wanted a comprehensive recycling program, so I founded a recycling program in April 1999.

After the volume increased as more and more families used the service, I was able to get $50,000 worth of free recycling equipment for our center. Since then, I have negotiated through tie Host Agreement with the landfill a provision that provides for Waste Management to pay the county's transportation costs for our recycling program, a benefit worth more that $12,000 per year for the next 10 years.

The third effect of not having a Solid Waste Coordinator, would have been that over 500 illegal dumps that used to exist in the county would still be there. More than 5,200 tons of garbage that was polluting our environment would still be causing pollution.

Our rural households have increased rural participation in weekly garbage collection service from 21 percent to 44 percent over the past three years. This is due in part to educational efforts I have made to persuade households to take personal responsibility for their waste.

A fourth benefit I have brought to the county is the annual $8,000 plus contribution the landfill is making to our Economic Development Commission, for the development of new jobs in the County, which was a provision in the last host agreement with Waste Management that I negotiated for the county

In summary, through my efforts over the past seven years, I have save the citizens $46,000 in direct contributions and deferred costs. Future financial benefits over the next 10 years that Logan County will reap as a result of my efforts to date as the Logan County Solid Waste Coordinator will exceed $678,000 in direct payments and deferred costs to the citizens of Logan County.

To put it another way, between 1995 and 2012 the citizens of Logan County will have received approximately $1,124,000 in financial benefits as a result of my being employed as the time Solid Waste Coordinator.

My salary for fiscal year 2002/2003 will be $24,266.06.