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Cleveland council debates dumpster access, proposes fees and outreach
Summary
Cleveland residents and council members debated whether outside residents and contractors should use town dumpsters, discussed proposed user fees and monitoring, and agreed to place the issue on a future public discussion to develop options.
Speaker 1 opened a lengthy discussion about who may use the town dumpsters, saying residents who use a Cleveland P.O. box or live on South Flat should be treated as town residents and should have access. The conversation moved quickly from a question of residency to costs and enforcement.
The most immediate problem, speakers said, is that the dumpsters are expensive for the town to empty and are being filled by people who may not be eligible. Speaker 3 proposed allowing outside residents to use the dumpsters if they pay a yearly fee to cover additional dumping costs, and Speaker 2 suggested a per-use fee (examples discussed included about $5 or modest increases like $1.50).
Speakers compared Cleveland’s situation with a neighboring practice: Speaker 5 said Huntington charges users about $10 and monitors dumpster use, while Cleveland lacks on-site enforcement. Several participants proposed steps including signage listing prohibited items (tires, paint, oil, appliances), sending friendly reminder letters to frequent offenders, and considering targeted billing for contractors found to be dumping.
Council members agreed to place the dumpster issue on the next town council public discussion/meeting so residents can comment. That agenda item will clarify whether the town will pursue a formal public hearing (which would require legal notice) or handle the matter through general public comment and an informational discussion. The council also discussed operational options such as prohibiting trailers for large loads, charging fees to users outside town limits, and adding a monitored or billed approach to deter contractor dumping.
Quotes captured from the meeting include: “If you have a PO box in Cleveland, you're a Cleveland resident,” (Speaker 1) and “We could have them pay, like, a yearly fee to help with the additional cost of dumping” (Speaker 3). The council did not adopt a formal policy at this meeting and instead directed that the dumpster policy and possible fee approaches be brought back for public input and formal council consideration.
