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Town of Grand Lake should pay for trash service

To the Editor:

This letter was originally sent to the Town of Grand Lake.

How can the City impose a penalty on home owners without their consent? This tastes to us like a system which makes all pay for the action of a small few.



We have lived part-time in Grand Lake since the early 1980s and have never at any time left our trash out while were absent from our property. Nor have we ever left our trash in a city or U.S. Forest Service trash Dumpster.

Whenever we have had any trash not able to be taken with us to our primary residence for disposal, we have driven to the Granby dump, paying for their services with our extra time and gas to dispose of the trash properly.



If this is a problem with having the city Dumpsters unlawfully used, seems like it’s a function of city taxes to be used to pay for the extra services, not a requirement to make homeowners to pay for the trash service.

The fallout of the city promoting Grand Lake as a tourist and recreation destination is a large influx of people who are using the city’s Dumpsters to dispose of their trash, not residents of the city. Should this not be the responsibility of the city, not law abiding citizens and home owners as we gain nothing from the tourist and recreation business? Add a tax to the motel industry or a fee to the restaurants and there are other areas to be taxed to cover this service if the town trustees were to get inventive.

As full-time residents, we would expect to have and pay for trash removal service and would do so readily if the town would impose a requirement to have trash removed. But only at a comparable rate of current trash removal services provided in the area. As a part-time resident, maybe 5 or 6 weekends during an entire year, I will not pay for something the City calls a requirement. This year, I will not even be able to use our house as my job requires me to be out of town. So what would happen in this case?

How has this been kept such a secret? How can such a broad reaching LAW be kept so low profile? The article says there may be another town meeting concerning this subject and my job will keep me from attending any such meeting, but my comments are presented to you herein.

We currently are obligated to pay for services on a year-round basis for water, sanitary services and pay a minimum every month for electricity regardless of use, and we understood our obligation at the time we made the decision to have a residence in this area. We have no recourse except to move out of the city. Your scheme is Big Brother at its finest.

Ron and Mary Kay Wood

Grand Lake


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