Twenty cents isn’t a lot of money.

But when we’re talking about mill rates and property tax, even a reduction as small as 20 cents is good news.

Lewiston is considering a proposal to privatize its landfill. According to City Administrator Jim Bennett, the change could save the city more than $37 million over the next 30 years and solve a number of looming problems.

As the plan has been described, the city would contract with Pine Tree Waste to operate the landfill. Pine Tree would be responsible for managing the property; disposing of and safeguarding its contents; and overseeing workers. The company would also pay the city for environmental monitoring and make a payment in lieu of taxes every year.

In addition to saving the city an estimated $900,000 in the first three years of the deal, the city wouldn’t be forced to borrow money to pay for the landfill’s expansion when it fills up, which Bennett estimates could happen in four or five years.

Privatization is not always a good idea. There are some functions government can do better than the private sector. But with the environmental oversight provisions of the plan and the promise that residents won’t see any changes in operations, we see no reason to think that Pine Tree Waste can’t manage the city’s landfill successfully.

By removing the potential for substantial borrowing in the future and by offering immediate – if small – savings to homeowners, the privatization of the landfill is an attractive idea.