To the editor:

As a concerned citizen, I am worried that the city’s new Solid Waste Task Force may be starting off on the wrong foot, with the appointment of a representative from N.R. Hamm Quarry Inc., the sole contract provider of solid waste disposal to the city of Lawrence.

In late 2010, Hamm Inc. raised the city’s tipping fee by 30 percent, perhaps in response to the city having reduced its waste generation through recycling. In 2011, the Hamm company is slated to receive nearly $3 million in landfill tipping fees from the city. How can the mayor and the City Commission justify appointing a representative from Hamm to the Solid Waste Task Force when the company appears to have an obvious conflict of interest?

The Solid Waste Task Force is an important policy-setting board established to study the future of solid waste services for our community. As such, the task force is obligated to serve the needs and interests of the citizens of the city of Lawrence. This appointment creates an unfortunate appearance of bias and allows an outside entity with vested financial interest to help drive and frame the pending discussion and influence the recommendations that arise. Will this appointment endanger the legitimacy of the process and findings of the task force?

I expressed my misgivings to the city manager and the commissioners prior to this appointment, to no avail. I encourage the citizenry to monitor the proceedings of the Solid Waste Task Force, and actively participate when the opportunity arises.