It wasn’t exactly talking trash, but Erin councillors are not happy with the state of their garbage cans – and they are taking steps to rectify those issues.
The issue was brought up at council on July 12 by councillor Josie Wintersinger, who had received an email earlier this month from Shelley Foord, chairman of the Erin village BIA.
Foord wrote, “I know the town decided not to invest in garbage cans this year, but could you please take this to the next council meeting and ask them what they suggest we do until next year?
“This sad little excuse for a garbage can is sitting in front of the drug store so if we remove it there will be nowhere for people to put their garbage. As you know, we try to make Main Street look nice for the community and people visiting the village. This sends the wrong message and appears that we have a lack of pride for how our village looks.”
Wintersinger said she took a walk in the village and empathized with the concerns raised.
“It is disgraceful, and I honestly think we’ve lost pride in our town,” Wintersinger said.
She added, “to have garbage cans out like that … and then it goes further, with all the garbage spilling onto the ground and flying all over the park.”
Councillor Barb Tocher, who chaired the July 12 meeting, summarized what has been happening. She believed town manager Lisa Hass had a proposal for garbage cans during budget talks, but it did not go anywhere because there was some discussion at council over receptacles that offered recycling, as opposed to just garbage.
“So where are we now?” Tocher asked.
Hass said if the town puts in containers that offer recycling “unless someone is there to physically place the materials into a blue box, they will not be picked up [by the county].”
She said if the new cans are installed, they need to be regular, “take-everything” type of cans. Hass added efforts were made to offer recycling in McMillan Park in Erin, but people are throwing garbage into the recycling containers.
“We’re not having much luck,” she said.
Wintersinger said the second issue was if the new garbage cans are declined in the budget, can the issue be reconsidered.
“I just feel this is a disgrace,” Wintersinger said.
Hass noted that prior to council’s original decision, a decision was already made on which cans to purchase.
“In the budget process, we tried to get council to purchase half the number originally proposed,” she said.
Tocher replied, “But I think we got stopped up on the recycling issue.” She said maybe the issue needs to be brought to the next council meeting for consideration.
Tocher then asked Finance Director Sharon Marshall how that would be handled as a special budget item.
Marshall said, “We’re not talking huge sums of money here.”
Tocher suggested if the cost is somewhere in the range of $5,000, “We can probably find it somewhere in the budget.”
She suggested staff come back with the original proposal to the next council meeting.
Wintersinger, however, felt council had already gone through this “and I don’t think we need to re-work it.”
Tocher agreed it does not need to be reworked. “We just need to bring it back.”
Hass said the proposal could be to simply purchase five garbage receptacles. Wintersinger said, “There are 20 garbage pails; 15 are in a bad state – if we could [replace]half of them now, and half of them next year.”
She said next year’s purchase would be an item for the 2012 budget.
Tocher said replacing several of the receptacles would be about $4,900.
“If council gives staff direction to order them now, without the mayor being here, it’s on your heads,” Tocher said with a laugh.
Wintersinger proposed a motion stating that is the approach council should take. She said so much effort is taken to make the community attractive, and the garbage takes away from that.
Councillor Deb Callaghan asked for clarification if these are regular garbage receptacles or for recycling.
Hass said those items could be used for recycling at a later time. There are two slots, and one would be covered over until such time recycling is implemented. She said currently it makes no difference if recyclables are placed in one portion, because the county will not empty those cans.
Tocher added, “Someone would have to empty them, and put the items into a blue box.”
Tocher said it is just the matter of recycling that had bogged things down.
“It is something the mayor felt very strongly about,” she added.
The resolution before council to direct staff to purchase several receptacles, was carried.
“But if the mayor asks me about this, I’m going to send him to you,” Tocher said.
“I know. I’ll handle this one,” responded Wintersinger.
“I get into enough trouble all by myself,” Tocher laughed.
