Resident raises concerns about trash pickup and contractor changes

A Lima resident, Dave Smith of Ashwood Avenue, used the meeting’s privilege of the floor to ask council members whether the city is receiving the same level of service for solid-waste collection after a change of contractors.

Smith said Rumpke, the current contractor, has stricter rules than previous haulers about bulk items and how many items will be collected. He said residents had been told the contractor would collect up to three cubic yards at the curb but that in practice residents have been told they will be charged for excess items, and several items left at the curb were not collected. He raised a separate example of a resident with a disability who was told Rumpke would not return to move a second cart from inside a yard to the curb.

Mayor Smith and Councilor Glenn engaged briefly and asked for the resident’s address so staff could follow up after the meeting. The resident asked whether the difference stemmed from a change in the city contract or a change in the contractor’s internal policy; no contract text was quoted during the remarks.

No formal action or motion to amend the contract was recorded during the meeting; the clerk and council indicated they would follow up individually with the resident.

The council did not take a vote or provide a stated timeline for a review of the solid-waste contract during the meeting.