General News: Town Looking to Take Next Step in Trash Deal

By Charlie B. Scirbona

The Cornwall Town board may be ready to move ahead with a 20 year contract with Taylor Biomass to dispose of the town’s solid waste.

The town council is putting a resolution forward to allow Taylor Biomass to be considered the sole source for municipal waste disposal. This would let the town legally bypass the public bidding process and save time in the negotiation process.

Taylor Biomass first approached the town in June about the contract. The company is in the process of building a gasification plant in Montgomery that would use organic waste to generate electricity. The plant would also take in inorganic waste, but can't use it in the gasification process. The company had originally wanted an agreement signed by the end of June; however the town board had several concerns with the original contract. While many of the issue have been address with the revised contract other still remained.

Town Attorney Steven Gaba pointed out that the while the contract has a fixed 2 percent cost increase each year, however there is a provision that puts any increase in costs due to changes in environmental laws by the state on the town.

Gaba also mentioned a provision in the contract that requires Taylor to continue to dispose of the town’s waste even if the plant fails. Gaba’s concern was that Taylor does not give a specific plan.

“There’s no real plan B, its just trust ‘us we’ll take care of it’,” said Gaba. He added that these issues will likely be discussed when the town negotiates the contract with Taylor.

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