The following column ran in the Woodburn Independent newspaper on Friday, October 29, 1999, the Mollala Pioneer October 2, 1999, and the Wilsonville Spokesman October 6, 1999. It is reprinted here with permission of the author.

Friday, November 05, 1999

Metro Fatigue?

Metro is off base by wanting to spend garbage savings it recently discovered

Are Portland-area residents beginning to suffer from Metro Fatigue? Our unique regionally elected government entity traces its roots to 1970, when it was established mainly to collect the region's garbage and arrange for its disposal. In 1992, voters approved a measure with the ballot title "Limits regional government." In reality, the measure gave Metro vast new centralized planning powers.

In a Labor Day editorial ("Split the savings"), The Oregonian noted that Metro's $8.4 million annual budget is still funded mainly by garbage fees. Recently, after putting the garbage collection contract out to competitive rebidding, Metro discovered a whopping $6 million per year savings totaling $60 million over the next 10 years.

Instead of returning the $60 million to everyone who pays, The Oregonian recommended keeping most of the excess payments for "other solid waste initiatives" and "planning for growth." Subsequently, Metro Executive Mike Burton called for Metro to keep all the money.

Actually, that is a policy recipe for gobbling up any savings and forcing future taxes and fees even higher. First, let's use the current year as an example. An $8.4 million budget, less $6 million of annual savings, would leave a total Metro budget of $2.4 million for operations with other revenue sources. But if Metro's budget stays at $8.4 million, that amounts to taxing and spending 2-1/2 times more than it would actually cost for these operations.

Secondly, the $60 million saving resulted from competitive bidding. That suggests there's more out there to be found. Sensible opinion leaders should not angle to "standardize" the idea of gross overcharging and blithely "just move on" to new government spending ideas. They ought to call for vigorous competitive bidding and de-monopolizing throughout state and local government in order to wring out other savings.

"It might seem obvious that our garbage removal fees should be cut by $60 million. But some opinion elites are inclined to conclude from any demonstration of free-market success that more centralized planning and socialism is required."

Finally - as for "planning for growth" - Metro's very own strategists concede in official documents that their planning model for Portland-area densification and road traffic is ... Los Angeles. Is this the kind of planned, urban-sprawl future we want? Metro planning means building denser neighborhoods with fewer roads, but visitors already compare our traffic congestion unfavorably with Los Angeles.

Many people are weary of Metro first monopolizing government services like garbage disposal and then using savings it discovers from competition for its own bureaucratic purposes. Free markets and competition are forces for evolution of lower costs and better services. If Metro keeps all the savings, then we reap none of these benefits. That means we exist to serve Metro instead of the other way around.

It might seem obvious that our garbage removal fees should be cut by $60 million. But some opinion elites are inclined to conclude from any demonstration of free-market success that more centralized planning and socialism is required. The Oregonian's headline writer even suggested that Metro overcharging and overspending would "smooth the future."

What is our vision of the future? We are exhausted from the permanent campaign, from the endless cycle of legislation, regulation and litigation ... from decades of permissiveness toward government interference in our civic life. We've learned from the 1990's that a progressive future cannot evolve under legalistic, bureaucratic planning.

Under an alternative scenario, the future will evolve from everyday people playing under simple rules that co-join freedom and responsibility - enforced fairly and efficiently by limited government operating within its authority.

A $60 million reduction in our garbage fees is a reasonable way to change direction in the Portland area. If not, then it's time to hire someone else to take out the trash and lose Metro Fatigue for good.