MONROE - The City of Monroe Board of Public Works postponed a discussion regarding a new Spring Cleanup program until its next meeting, because the person who proposed the new program was not able to attend the meeting Monday, June 17.
Mayor Bill Ross said the idea, sent to the city in April by Tom Brentmeier of rural Monroe, is interesting and may work.
Brentmeier could not be reached for comment.
The proposal lays out a plan for people to drop off their unwanted items at the county fairgrounds and provides for a pickup session a day or two later for people who want to take any items for reuse. The plan even provides an idea to avoid traffic jams during those pickup days -- by allowing people to walk into the pickup area with a small wagon.
All metal items would be off limits for pickup, so the city may sell it for salvage revenue.
The plan lists its advantages as "good for the environment," "good for people with lower income," and less gas used by those people who drive around the city during spring cleanup looking for things to pick up.
The proposal also highlights some possible problems.
People dropping off items would need to own or borrow a vehicle large enough to haul their item to the fairgrounds, and people may not want or be able to walk to pick up items.
"And, of course, there is the use of county property," the proposal states at the end.
The city has been without Spring Cleanup Days, when residents have the opportunity to rid their homes of unwanted large items that don't fit in a garbage bag, since the budget constraints of 2009.
Alternatives for the program were announced in March 2009, requiring stickers for any bulk item picked up. The city still provides at-home pickups of large unwanted items. Prices set in 2009 have not changed much.
Bulky Waste Stickers, which are available for purchase at city hall, cost between $10 and $50, depending upon how large the item is. A sticker for a washing machine, for instance, costs $20.
Yard waste stickers can be purchased for $2 each, and tire stickers, for $5 each. But the city also provides free drop-off dates for yard waste and reduced rates days for tires.
During the budget cuts in October 2008, the Spring Cleanup Days program was calculated to cost $50,000 in addition to regular labor costs, or about $80,000 total. Spring Clean-up Days was shelved with an option of going forward with it or with an abbreviated version of it, only if winter street maintenance didn't use its entire budget.
Fuel, road salt, health insurance and other costs pushed street maintenance and public works machinery and equipment budget lines over their increase limit of 2 percent set during the budget meetings. The cost of salt ($120 per ton) had almost tripled from the previous year ($42), and employee health insurance costs had risen about 20 percent.
Mayor Bill Ross said the idea, sent to the city in April by Tom Brentmeier of rural Monroe, is interesting and may work.
Brentmeier could not be reached for comment.
The proposal lays out a plan for people to drop off their unwanted items at the county fairgrounds and provides for a pickup session a day or two later for people who want to take any items for reuse. The plan even provides an idea to avoid traffic jams during those pickup days -- by allowing people to walk into the pickup area with a small wagon.
All metal items would be off limits for pickup, so the city may sell it for salvage revenue.
The plan lists its advantages as "good for the environment," "good for people with lower income," and less gas used by those people who drive around the city during spring cleanup looking for things to pick up.
The proposal also highlights some possible problems.
People dropping off items would need to own or borrow a vehicle large enough to haul their item to the fairgrounds, and people may not want or be able to walk to pick up items.
"And, of course, there is the use of county property," the proposal states at the end.
The city has been without Spring Cleanup Days, when residents have the opportunity to rid their homes of unwanted large items that don't fit in a garbage bag, since the budget constraints of 2009.
Alternatives for the program were announced in March 2009, requiring stickers for any bulk item picked up. The city still provides at-home pickups of large unwanted items. Prices set in 2009 have not changed much.
Bulky Waste Stickers, which are available for purchase at city hall, cost between $10 and $50, depending upon how large the item is. A sticker for a washing machine, for instance, costs $20.
Yard waste stickers can be purchased for $2 each, and tire stickers, for $5 each. But the city also provides free drop-off dates for yard waste and reduced rates days for tires.
During the budget cuts in October 2008, the Spring Cleanup Days program was calculated to cost $50,000 in addition to regular labor costs, or about $80,000 total. Spring Clean-up Days was shelved with an option of going forward with it or with an abbreviated version of it, only if winter street maintenance didn't use its entire budget.
Fuel, road salt, health insurance and other costs pushed street maintenance and public works machinery and equipment budget lines over their increase limit of 2 percent set during the budget meetings. The cost of salt ($120 per ton) had almost tripled from the previous year ($42), and employee health insurance costs had risen about 20 percent.