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June 24, 2004
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June 24, 2004 |
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Village
Council business— Village Council members indicated on Monday that they are considering reinstating spring cleanup and instituting a new brush and leaf pickup service, as part of a new contract with the Village’s solid waste hauler, Rumpke. At their meeting June 17, Council members did not commit to starting the programs, saying that they wanted to receive feedback from local residents before making any decisions. Council likely delayed reinstating the programs because Council members are considering charging additional fees, above garbage rates, for both spring cleanup and brush pickup. Rumpke has offered to provide a brush pickup based on a pay-as-you-go system. Yellow Springers could either purchase tags for bundles of brush or bags for leaves and grass clippings for $1.50 each. Rumpke would collect the yard waste once a month between April and November. The yard waste would be recycled and turned into fertilizer. The waste hauler has also proposed offering a spring cleanup event for about $12,500. Council members discussed charging all garbage customers a flat fee of about $6.50 to pay for the cleanup. The Village could also spread the fee over 12 months. Council members George Pitstick and Denise Swinger said that billing customers once a year, during the month of the cleanup, emphasizes the cleanup’s impact and costs. Earlier this month, Council accepted a new three-year contract with Rumpke to continue to provide garbage collection and recycling services here. The new contract does not include spring cleanup or the brush pickup service, though Rumpke has offered to provide both services at additional fees. Last year, Council suspended spring cleanup and brush chipping, which were held at the same time, as a cost-savings measure. The cost of both activities were not factored into the Village’s current garbage rates. When the rates were approved in 1999, the Village general fund paid for spring cleanup and brush pickup. Later the Village started paying for both services through the solid waste fund, causing the fund to go into debt. During the meeting, Council president Tony Arnett said that he was “hard pressed to see” how Council cannot charge for spring cleanup and brush pickup. “Our rate structure will not cover this,” he said. Village Manager Rob Hillard also asked Council to consider a new policy to collect unpaid garbage fees through property taxes. Council said it would discuss the issue at its next meeting, Tuesday, July 6.
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