Athens City Council members direct discussion back to the trash law and decides to push amendments forwards.
After almost a month of discussion at Athens City Council over proposed amendments to the city Garbage and Rubbish Ordinance, policymakers agreed Monday night on a new version of the controversial proposal.
But, the meeting held at the City Building, 8 E. Washington St., wasn’t without some debate before council members agreed to accept the changes.
“Papai and I have been working with the law office on the wording,” Councilwoman Chris Fahl, D-4th ward, said.
Fahl’s ordinance would increase fines for trash visible from a street on which a house is addressed from $20 to $50. She has said if residents have no other place for their trash than their front yard, they’d have to construct screens to keep it out of sight.
Changes Fahl presented on Monday clarified that trash must only be out of sight from the street where a house is addressed. In previous sessions, council has said that trash could not be seen from any public right away, including alleys.
Councilman Steve Patterson, D-at large, agreed with the alteration. “A street is a street and an alley is an alley,” he said.
The last council session on Sept. 22 saw sparring, and even a threat of a veto from Mayor Paul Wiehl. After their discussion, council members called on Fahl to go back and revise the wording of the amendment before bringing it back for more readings.
Though Fahl’s changes were met with approval Monday, council was still in knots over the possibility that some citizens, particularly senior citizens and disabled residents, could get waivers for the proposed law. At the Sept. 22 session, council members discussed not allowing waivers for anyone.
A waiver would allow a resident to either opt out of the law or make the city haul away their trash.
Though an advocate for waivers, Patterson has been concerned with stripping the handicapped and elderly of their choice to request one or not. Council members have previously sought a blanket waiver for those segments of the population — whether residents want them or not.
“It’s good to see it … giving people with disabilities the freedom to choose,” Patterson said.
Council members came to a consensus that the city Office of Code Enforcement should hold the power to grant waivers, for those who apply.
“I’m pleased to see the waiver process back in the mix,” Patterson said.
But some residents at Monday night’s meeting disagreed, voicing their own concerns on who should be allowed to grant exemption from the ordinance.
“This proposal still doesn’t satisfy me or members of my beautification committee … (because) to leave this issue in the hands of service safety director that leaves it to the status quo,” said Beverly Flanigan, member of the Westside Community Association.
Council members approved the ordinance’s new wording. It will meet a first reading at the next regular session of Athens City Council.
@emilybohatch
eb346012@ohio.edu
