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Council advances garbage-code changes that raise fines, add hearings
Summary
Regulations committee bills to amend Chapter 50 (garbage/refuse) and related code sections advanced on a due-pass recommendation after staff outlined penalties and a new administrative hearing process; proposed changes raise cart-storage fines and set a $100 penalty for scattered debris after a seven-day cure period.
The council’s regulations committee advanced three interrelated ordinances to update refuse enforcement, fine amounts and the city’s fee schedule.
Matt Gratz, the city’s Solid Waste Manager, told the committee the main purpose of the Chapter 50 changes was to increase penalties for noncompliance and to create an administrative policy and hearing process for collecting fines. He said the changes move the cart-storage fine from $25 to $50 and establish a $100 penalty for rejected items or scattered debris with a seven-day notice to the resident and property owner before a citation and clean-up. Gratz said enforcement is complaint-driven and the department receives about 2,500 complaints a year; he also said roughly 30% of fines are currently paid but the new hearing procedure should improve recovery.
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