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Residents press Wayne officials on trash service, surveillance cameras and rental-registration grievances
Summary
During public comment June 9, Wayne residents raised complaints about Priority Waste pickup inconsistencies, urged greater transparency on automated license-plate cameras, asked about multiple blighted properties, and one speaker alleged malicious prosecution tied to rental-registration enforcement.
Residents used the June 9 public-comment period to press city officials on several local issues, including inconsistent trash pickup, automated license-plate cameras, questions about blighted properties and a grievance over rental-registration enforcement.
Several speakers criticized the city's contractor for residential garbage pickup. "If they don't come on Friday, you're stuck with that garbage can all weekend long," Miss Bonik said, asking staff to present a plan at the next council meeting. Resident Mr. Blackwell directed residents not to contact the vendor directly and instead to call the Department of Public Works to ensure the city tracks complaints: "Do not contact Priority Waste directly. Call DPW and that number is 734-721-8600," he said.
A commenter also raised concerns about automated license-plate cameras and cited Flock Safety as an example of a vendor with a national footprint. The speaker said the technology photographs every passing vehicle and stores plate and vehicle data in centralized searchable databases; the council did not debate policy or take action on camera deployment at this meeting.
Other public comments included requests for updates on several local properties—questions about the former Dan's Ice Cream site, a closed bar and a car-wash conversion—and a request that the police present traffic-citation figures at a future meeting after earlier reports suggested a high number of tickets in a given corridor.
Resident Demenson McFarland raised a separate grievance about Ordinance 1486, which requires rental registration. McFarland said he registered his rental as required but later faced enforcement actions that he described as retaliatory, including a threatened loss of a disabled-veteran tax exemption and an upcoming tax-tribunal case; he encouraged residents to look up docket number 25-00003433 for details. McFarland characterized his treatment as "malicious prosecution," and the city did not respond to the allegation during the comment period.
Several commenters, including newly arrived residents, expressed support for the city’s efforts to address dangerous structures and encouraged civic cooperation. The meeting closed after council comments and a motion to adjourn.
