Mainly because if u want a job disposing garbage, the Sheriff and the Mayor have authority over you, not the company who hired you. I thought it was funny that law enforcement and the town council were supposively Ernest's superiors. Sheriff Binder had NO legal authority to end Ernest's employment. That town must've been small enough for the law to have full capacity to run EVERYTHING! Lol. I've never heard of a town where there is a landfill and one truck/driver to take care of it all. Even if Briarville was that minor of an establishment, Ernest would still work for a legitiment waste removal company and have co-workers and a manager who would be the only one to lawfully terminate his position. The Mayor would not have the legal power to force that particular individual to terminate Ernest. He could reccommend, but he couldn't take legal action. Even if Ernest did accidentally scoop up his two boys in the truck. Lol. I'd have sued if I were Ernest. At that point, only a judge would have the power to determine Ernest's future employment. I also would've told the Sheriff to worry about stopping crime and keeping peace and let me worry about trash pickup. In the end, we are lead to believe that Briarville is a town of only 50 people and cut off from the rest of the civilized world.