City council nixes proposed ordinance
By Bert Lehman
City of Clintonville residents will continue to have the option to opt-out of the city’s garbage collection.
Harter’s Fox Valley Disposal currently handles the city’s trash collection.
A new city ordinance that would have eliminated the garbage opt-out was defeated by the city council by a vote of 4-6, at the June 9 council meeting.
Alds. Ben Huber, Bradon Braden, Ed Mitchell and Peggy Zaemisch voted to eliminate the opt-out.
Mayor Richard Beggs said he was surprised not many residents voiced their opinion in the months the issue had been discussed.He asked the council members if they had received a lot of phone calls from citizens about the garbage opt-out.
“My experience has been that generally the complaints come after you do something, not before you do something,” said Council President Mike Hankins in response to Beggs. “I did push for the opt-out. I’m still pushing for the opt-out. This was accepted by the community pretty well, and I think the reason it was accepted pretty well is because there was an opt-out.”
Hankins said one of the reasons there is a push to eliminate the opt-out is because employees at City Hall are receiving complaints from citizens.
“I don’t forsee that we’re going to reduce complaints by taking the last 13% (of citizens who are opting out) and telling them they have to do this,” Hankins said.
Contract with Harter’s
Ald. Jim Supanich said he agreed with Hankins, adding that if the opt-out is eliminated, the price of garbage collection will increase when the current contract with Harter’s expires.
“We’ve had problems with these people when they signed the original contract,” Supanich said. “And I have a real concern that if they have no competition from CAWS (Clintonville Area Waste Service), that the price is going to go up.”
Braden said eliminating the opt-out does not mean the city will withdraw from CAWS.
“If we feel that we want to continue to support the CAWS site, you can still support the CAWS site through our tax levy and stuff so our residents can still have a place to drop off their compost, still drop off their brush,” Braden said.
Later in the meeting, Braden added that when the contract with Harter’s is up, he assumes the city will request bids for a new contract.
He said the city is fortunate to have many companies in the area to choose from for garbage pick-up.
Beggs told the council the CAWS site will be around for awhile because for the city to withdraw from CAWS, it must provide an 18-month notice of withdrawal.
City Administrator Sharon Eveland said the compost area by the CAWS site is run by the city, not CAWS.
Even if the city would withdraw from CAWS, the city would still have a place for residents to take grass clippings and brush.
Eveland also said CAWS is having financial issues.
If it comes to a point where the city has to pay CAWS a subsidy, that means residents who are paying for garbage service in the city are going to be paying so that people can take their stuff to CAWS.
“I want you guys to be aware that with a subsidy, the city would have to levy for that subsidy,” Eveland said. “I don’t know that CAWS is going to do that. I’m saying if it were to come to that, then that levy for the CAWS subsidy would be paid and shared by everyone, including those who have the garbage service.”
Ald. Brad Rukus said it is unfortunate employees at City Hall are receiving abusive treatment from some citizens regarding the garbage opt-out.
He added that abusive treatment is not a reason to take away the opt-out choice from residents.
“I think the opt-out is important,” Rokus said.
Peggy Johnson, the city’s clerk/treasurer, made a statement on behalf of the three employees who work at City Hall.
“We are not recommending the opt-out go away because of any abuse we take,” Johnson said. “Yes, we do take comments. We can take comments over many things, and that’s part of our job. That has nothing to do with our feelings on the opt-out. I just want that on the record.”
Eveland said a lot of the problems with the opt-out revolve around landlords opting out, and then tenants wanting to be part of the city’s garbage pickup through Harter’s.
“The abuse we take, it is not acceptable, but it is ultimately not the real reason behind what we are recommending,” Eveland said.
New opt-out policy
In a June 15 press release, Eveland explained new procedures this year for residents to opt-out of the city’s garbage service.
Instead of the city mailing notices to all eligible residents, those who want to opt-out will have to obtain an opt-out form and submit it to City Hall by 4:30 p.m. on Sept. 15.
Opt-out forms will be available no later than Aug. 1 each year.
The forms will be available at City Hall, and also downloadable from the city’s website.
“This change will reduce the cost to operate the annual opt-out program, which is currently funded by the fees collected from those who are in the city’s program,” the press release said.
The press release noted property owners of multi-residential units who desire to opt-out of the city’s garbage service will have to submit a form for each unit of the property.
Owners of multi-residential units, based on the assessor’s roll, will receive a mailing notifying them they are listed as multi-residential.
Property owners who dispute that will need to contact City Hall.
If they fail to correct discrepancies by Sept. 15, they “will be charged according to the records the city has on file at that time, and no refunds or adjustments will be made after that point.”
The press release also reminded residents it is a violation of city ordinance to share garbage carts, and multi-family units are not allowed to share garbage service.