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Canal Fulton to limit yard-waste facility access to city residents after costs rose
Summary
City manager told council the yard-waste program will be limited to City of Canal Fulton residents only after township funding did not materialize; council discussed verification options and the program’s rising costs.
City Manager Dan told the City of Canal Fulton Council that the city will move the yard-waste facility to a city-residents-only model after Lawrence Township did not include funding in its road/street budget. The change is intended to reduce volume and lower grinding costs.
Dan said the city had hoped the township would contribute, but “that didn’t happen,” so the council settled on making the service available to city residents only. He noted an early pass renewal applicant was a township resident who owns multiple rental properties inside the city, which raised questions about whether property owners with city properties should be allowed access.
Council and staff discussed verification methods. Options raised included checking a driver’s license address, using utility billing records to confirm a property owner, or maintaining a list of approved property owners. Finance Director Tracy and other staff said they can verify ownership through city water billing records when the bill is in the owner’s name.
Officials reviewed program costs. Gary (streets) said grinding the current backlog for a single run will cost about $8,000; historically the city has paid as much as $17,000 in one year for yard-waste grinding. Revenue from passes was far lower (roughly $3,500 in 2024), so the program has not been self-sustaining and the street department has borne the cost.
City staff said the planned change is to begin immediately (city-only passes at $25) and the council will monitor volumes and costs; the manager said the city believes a city-only program will reduce total tonnage and could make the operation self-sufficient. Council also discussed public-safety and fire department impacts from illegal burning when access is limited.
No ordinance change or new fee schedule was adopted on the spot; council directed staff to implement the city-only policy and return with logistics and verification procedures if needed.
