County, good will work to resolve money differences
The Fayette County commissioners and officials from Goodwill Industries of Fayette County on Friday apparently came to a resolution about the $90,000 Goodwill claims the county owes it for the recycling program it operates. After the meeting, Jacqueline Mitchell, executive director of Goodwill Industries of Fayette County, said Goodwill still contends that the amount is due and the county will “at some point, somehow” pay what is owed. Mitchell said it was a very positive meeting.
Commission Chairwoman Angela M. Zimmerlink said the county will work with Goodwill to set a budgeted line item for 2006 with an agreed-on amount, reach agreement on the past due amount and payment arrangements, and budget accordingly.
Mitchell said there is also a plan to make a written agreement for an amount to be determined for the future. She added that it has always been Goodwill’s intention to keep the recycling program going.
She said Goodwill is going to use this experience as an opportunity to “re-energize the successful recycling program we have in Fayette County and re-educate the public so everyone participates.”
According to information provided by Zimmerlink, the county paid Goodwill $60,000 toward the recycling program in each of the years 2001 and 2002, and then paid only $30,000 in 2003 and nothing in 2004.
Goodwill has maintained that through a binding agreement the county agreed to pay the agency $5,000 per month.
County manager Warren Hughes confirmed that the county paid Goodwill only $30,000 in the first half of 2003 because in the second half of the year the money was needed for other county expenses.
Zimmerlink said she was only notified of Goodwill’s contention that money was owed earlier this year and thought the situation was being worked out until receiving a letter from Goodwill earlier this month.
She said the county’s $2 per ton landfill tipping fee was collected by the prior administration and then the money was put into the general fund.
Commissioner Vincent A. Vicites said he believes the situation can be worked out. “We had a good discussion,” he said of Friday’s meeting, which Commissioner Joseph A. Hardy III also attended. Vicites said by using money collected from the $2 per ton tipping fee, money can be dedicated to pay Goodwill. He said the back amount can be caught up by using the fund. Vicites said the county received more than $100,000 from the tipping fee amount every year.
The county’s former recycling coordinator, Vicites said he is very dedicated to helping the recycling program.
The county provides services such as writing all the grants for the program, repairing the vehicles, purchasing the recycling center equipment and upgrading equipment when asked for by Goodwill, and recently voted to advertise to increase the size of the recycling building by 50 percent. The cost will be paid by grant funds.
In Fayette County, North Union, South Union and Georges townships are mandated by law to recycle, along with the cities of Uniontown and Connellsville.
Additionally, recycling is available in every municipality in the county in one form or another.