Fall River trash pickup plan to move forward

By: Rebecca Turco

Email: rturco@abc6.com

TAUNTON, Mass. – A Taunton judge ruled against taxpayers hoping to halt Fall River’s private trash pickup plan.

A group of 12 taxpayers had argued that the mayor should not have gone through with the contract because the city council never approved it. The judge said the move was in the mayor’s authority, adding that councilors effectively approved the contract when they passed the city’s overall budget Tuesday night.

"We try and deliver taxpayer savings, we try to slim down government when we can and make sure that people get the services they deserve at the price that the city can afford, and in this particular case, privatization made so much sense," explained Mayor Jasiel Correia.

Last week, the council initially rejected the mayor’s nearly $256-million budget, with members speaking out against the trash contract’s hefty termination fees. To express their frustration, councilors on Tuesday ordered the mayor to bypass the contract – which the mayor can veto, although it is a moot point now.

"The mayor basically had them in a no-win situation,” said Lesley Rich, lawyer for the taxpayer group. “[The councilors] wanted to make sure the trash was being picked up and at the same time they didn’t want this bad contract."

The new contract goes into effect Friday, when the sanitation layoffs take place. Former city sanitation workers can apply for positions with the new company.

A union group representing the sanitation workers is also in the middle of a lawsuit against the city.

© WLNE-TV 2016