Elyria City Council on Dec. 1 approved an amendment to chapter 9.59 (sanitation rules and rates) that adds provisions for an additional-pickup charge and retains a $25 crew charge. Councilmember Saworka and others asked whether the ordinance’s subsection on additional pickups meant an extra fee per event, per week or per month.

Law Director Deary and Safety Service Director Parnowski both said the ordinance’s current language reads as 'per additional pickup' and that the charge is assessed for each extra pickup requested. Deary noted the $25 crew charge amount has not been changed. Councilmember Zorica (transcribed alternately) said she supports the additional charge but recommended revisiting the timing language after passage. "I would suggest that perhaps we need to revise this after we pass the initial changes," she said.

Council passed the ordinance under suspension of rules with recorded voice votes and at least one member expressing opposition to the broader mix of pending rate increases. The law director advised that if council wants a different structure (for example, per month or per week), the ordinance should be amended to state that explicitly. The council asked staff to review and return with clarified language in a subsequent meeting.