When I first moved to Augusta, I hired a garbage service. When the company started doing a bad job, I fired them and hired a different one. Then the county decided that I was not to be trusted with such weighty decisions.

If memory serves, a key figure in a waste management company hired by the Augusta Commission went to prison for fraud soon after I got my new roll-away barrels. I also lost all rights when it came to looking for the frequency of service, type of service and price that best met my needs and ability to pay. I had to call Augusta Cares to get somebody to deliver a recycling barrel to my house.

Fast-forward a few years, and now the commission is in the process of deciding, again, what my trash service will look like and cost. This decision will not be based on my needs or desire/ability to pay, but simply will reflect political necessity and budget constraints at the county level. The most likely result is that my fees will go up; level and frequency of service will decline; and "surplus" waste management funds will be used to balance other areas of the budget.

Thank goodness there are no plans to turn any other basic, necessary services over to enlightened government management!