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Resident urges council to cancel borough composting program over vendor oversight
Summary
At the public‑comment portion, resident Jessalyn Cool accused borough leadership of prioritizing performative initiatives over fiscal responsibility and alleged the composting program’s vendor operated without a mandatory performance bond; she asked the council to cancel the program and freeze nonessential spending.
Jessalyn Cool, a resident of 617 Academy Road, told the council that a lack of transparency and procurement enforcement had exposed Swarthmore taxpayers to financial and reputational risk. She said the vendor selected for the borough’s composting program “failed to provide mandatory performance bond” and that the council’s solicitation had allowed an unbonded contractor to operate. Cool argued the council should cancel the composting program and freeze nonessential spending until oversight is restored.
Cool framed her concerns as a matter of legal and fiscal duty: she cited a recent local report that, she said, documented failures in vendor oversight and argued those failures undercut the borough’s ability to pursue discretionary environmental initiatives. Councilmembers acknowledged the comment and recorded it for follow‑up; no formal policy change or vote resulted from the public‑comment period.
