Editor, Gazette-Journal:

In the early 1990s, Gloucester’s elected leaders and paid staff made the decision to open a landfill that would receive trash from numerous localities, including some in other states. Those leaders and staff made a deal with Waste Management of Virginia to allow them to operate the new landfill for 20 years under a self-extending contract based on the landfill’s remaining capacity.

At that time, Gloucester taxpayers completely funded the ever-rising costs to operate the old county landfill, so the picture painted for the taxpayers back then and even today is one of not having to raise taxes to fund trash disposal. Such service does have significant value to the taxpayers, but the question is … Did the leaders and staff back then make a good deal?

Information on contracts of similar landfill operations in neighboring communities obtained under FOIA suggests a very poor deal was made on behalf of Gloucester taxpayers. The following are just ...