MONROE - Cleanup Days in Monroe is off the November ballot.
The city Common Council voted 5-2 Tuesday to eliminate a referendum on the issue of reinstating the popular program.
Aldermen Michael Boyce and Jeff Newcomer voted to keep the referendum on the ballot. Aldermen Reid Stangel and Brooke Bauman were absent.
The council had voted unanimously July 1 to move ahead with the idea of having the referendum, and asked city staff for referendum wording to be clear and informative for the voters.
But in discussion Tuesday, several aldermen announced a change of mind, having learned more about the added cost for homeowners and the city and about the many items that would not qualify for the program under new recycling laws.
Years ago, almost anything was allowed to be placed on the curb for mass pickup, but city staff informed the council that picking up everything now would be too expensive for the city, because crews would be required to make numerous rounds of pickups to sort for various categories of items.
Therefore, Cleanup Days in 2015 would not allow homeowners to include e-waste, batteries, light bulbs, Freon items, tires, appliances, wood, metal, chemicals, and clean construction or demolition debris.
To meet the costs of the reinstated program, the current yard waste drop-off days and curbside collection of electronic waste services would also be eliminated.
The estimated charge added to each homeowner's utility bill would have been about $60 per year.
"It's not a good value," said Alderman Louis Armstrong, who deemed $60 a year as too expensive for the program with all the restricted items.
Alderman Tom Miller also said, having been educated more about the program being offered to citizens, he had determined the program is "not worth it." The yard waste drop-off is "a good thing," he added. He championed for more education about the city's current services - most items will be picked up by city crew with a pre-paid sticker purchased at city hall.
But Boyce and Mayor Bill Ross said they preferred to let the voters decide the fate of their cleanup days. The sample referendum presented to the council spelled out the cost to homeowners and the items restricted. The referendum would have allowed for a yes/no vote on an annual program and on an optional, bi-annual program.
Boyce said he was not a "fan" of Cleanup Days, but he was a fan of offering the referendum to the people.
The referendum would be advisory only, but Ross said the council would not want to go against the wishes of the people.
According to City Administrator Phil Rath, information on the city's current pickup services is available to people in a variety of ways, including utility bills, city hall bulletin boards and the city website.
"But we can't read it for them," he added.
Spring Cleanup Days disappeared from city programs during the budget cuts in October 2008. The city initiated several fee-based pickup services as alternative options for citizens who wanted to dispose of bulky items, e-waste, appliances, Freon items, tires and yard waste.
Consideration of a November referendum to reinstate Spring Cleanup Days to be financed through charges to quarterly utility bills was one of Ross's top four, city-wide issues that he said needed to be addressed this year.
The city Common Council voted 5-2 Tuesday to eliminate a referendum on the issue of reinstating the popular program.
Aldermen Michael Boyce and Jeff Newcomer voted to keep the referendum on the ballot. Aldermen Reid Stangel and Brooke Bauman were absent.
The council had voted unanimously July 1 to move ahead with the idea of having the referendum, and asked city staff for referendum wording to be clear and informative for the voters.
But in discussion Tuesday, several aldermen announced a change of mind, having learned more about the added cost for homeowners and the city and about the many items that would not qualify for the program under new recycling laws.
Years ago, almost anything was allowed to be placed on the curb for mass pickup, but city staff informed the council that picking up everything now would be too expensive for the city, because crews would be required to make numerous rounds of pickups to sort for various categories of items.
Therefore, Cleanup Days in 2015 would not allow homeowners to include e-waste, batteries, light bulbs, Freon items, tires, appliances, wood, metal, chemicals, and clean construction or demolition debris.
To meet the costs of the reinstated program, the current yard waste drop-off days and curbside collection of electronic waste services would also be eliminated.
The estimated charge added to each homeowner's utility bill would have been about $60 per year.
"It's not a good value," said Alderman Louis Armstrong, who deemed $60 a year as too expensive for the program with all the restricted items.
Alderman Tom Miller also said, having been educated more about the program being offered to citizens, he had determined the program is "not worth it." The yard waste drop-off is "a good thing," he added. He championed for more education about the city's current services - most items will be picked up by city crew with a pre-paid sticker purchased at city hall.
But Boyce and Mayor Bill Ross said they preferred to let the voters decide the fate of their cleanup days. The sample referendum presented to the council spelled out the cost to homeowners and the items restricted. The referendum would have allowed for a yes/no vote on an annual program and on an optional, bi-annual program.
Boyce said he was not a "fan" of Cleanup Days, but he was a fan of offering the referendum to the people.
The referendum would be advisory only, but Ross said the council would not want to go against the wishes of the people.
According to City Administrator Phil Rath, information on the city's current pickup services is available to people in a variety of ways, including utility bills, city hall bulletin boards and the city website.
"But we can't read it for them," he added.
Spring Cleanup Days disappeared from city programs during the budget cuts in October 2008. The city initiated several fee-based pickup services as alternative options for citizens who wanted to dispose of bulky items, e-waste, appliances, Freon items, tires and yard waste.
Consideration of a November referendum to reinstate Spring Cleanup Days to be financed through charges to quarterly utility bills was one of Ross's top four, city-wide issues that he said needed to be addressed this year.