11/01/1988 Meeting Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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.. Council Minutes of 11/1/88 -5- Letters and communications: Acting Clerk Boyle reported receipt of, and read in their entirety, two letters with respect to the MIA/POW's still missing in Southeast Asia, one from the White House and one from Senator Howard Metzenbaum. Audience participation: Walter Reis, 4429 Canterbury Road, asked the Mayor and the Council to get together and cooperate in order to find some way to reinstate the Leaf Pick-up Program. Mayor Petrigac stated that in 1987, based on the finances of the city, she felt there was not enough money to do a leaf program and it was cancelled; it was not a popular decision but it was a good decision because the money was not there. Last March, when submitting the budget to council, she did not include a leaf program. Council did not see fit to include the leaf program either since they did not line item the budget by including "labor - leaf program" or "equipment - leaf". Their decision was to go along with the budget proposed by the Mayor, a budget that did not reinstate the Leaf Pick-up Program; thinks they did not do so because the money was not there. Mr. Wilamosky disagreed with the Mayor's evaluation of the situation: In 1987, the .administration blatantly defied the council's directive. after it had appropriated sufficient money by NOT providing this particular service; there WAS money in a line item for wages for leaf pick- up in 1987 but the administration chose to hold firm in its decision not to utilize or enter into a Leaf Pick-up .Program. This year, council felt it would just be "spinning its wheels" by including it earlier because of the action of the administration in 1987 when they did not utilize the money that was made available and transferred by council to fund a Leaf Pick-up Program. Liz Early, 4196 Porter Road, feels that plastic bags used for bagging leaves are not ecologically good; they .should be disposed of in some manner benef icial and more effective for .everyone. Perhaps some residents would like to purchase a service on their own, from the city, if it were possible. Would like the leaf disposal to be a positive rather than a negative thing. President Saringer said that she was the proponent of the original leaf pickup and while at that time the city was .shown a system for breaking down. the leaves when they were taken to Bradley and mulched, it was not done properly and was never a workable solution. It was a waste of manpower also .when the leaves were bagged because the bags were picked up and then had to be emptied out at-the Barton Road facility. Finance Director Boyle commented that Bay Village has a project, .through the Browning/ Ferris contract with Ford Motor Company, to develop a truck which will have a separate reservoir section to pick up leaves and dispose of them while doing the regular garbage pickup. This is not merely for environmental purposes; New Jersey, Wisconsin and Minnesota have already outlawed leaves and grass clippings from any landfill because it fills the area too quickly. There is legislation pending in several other states as well which will become a problem for everyone, with or without trees, because it will raise the cost for solid waste collection, which everyone pays for. Service Director Noble commented that he is a consultant on the Bay Village pro- ject with respect to designing the equipment; ,there are difficulties with this equipment; all leaves must be placed in .the street and Bay Village lost three cars last year because of the catalytic converters causing fires when the cars parked on the dry leaves. Residents may place their leaves in the dumpsters available at North Olmsted Park, at Clague Road and Brookpark, at St. Clarence and St. Brendan's. It is a fact that the east coast has already outlawed the transporting of leaves and grass. clippings to landfills. North Olmsted does not have the equip- ment to pick up leaves; it does not have the manpower to pick up leaves. It takes extra people and it takes overtime which is not available under the current budget. When the Mayor makes a decision of whether the city has firemen versus leaf pickup, or a truck to plow streets so people can get out to go to work versus leaf pickup, it is a tough decision to make, but. it is a right decision; gives the Mayor credit for making this decision and backs her 1007 for making it.