Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
If you want to realize how inadequate Warsaw's regulations on trash pickup are, take a drive with Kim Leake.
The city's public works superintendent can rattle off a slew of residential locations known for excessive garbage that falls beyond what is typically expected from a home.
The abuses range from landlords who clean out vacated apartment furniture to roof contractors who bring the remnants of their work home and expect the city to dispose of it.
"We've got a guy on South Detroit Street who every week - every week - has enough trash to fill this room," Leake said from his office.
The city's free service is being exploited because the ordinance addressing garbage services hasn't been updated in 10 or 20 years.
"It doesn't address much," Leake said Monday afternoon.
For that reason, Leake and building inspector Pam Kennedy are proposing sweeping changes.
Proposed changes include:
• Requiring apartment buildings with three or more units to contract with a private hauler the same way required of other commercial operations.
• Establishing an environmental nuisance provision that covers unmowed grass, weeds and mass accumulations of rubbish. If property owners refuse to cooperate, the city will clean up the property and place liens on the property to recover costs.
• Prohibiting acceptance of refrigerators containing freon. The existing ordinance doesn't reflect the longtime policy.
• Establishing an unsafe building fund that would allow the city to pay for clean-up. The city building department doesn't have funds even to board up unsafe buildings and often waits for weeks before being able to take action.
• Instituting a new policy in which the city takes action against property owners who leave appliances outside.
The proposals were reviewed by city council Monday night and will be considered for a vote next month.
Mayor Ernie Wiggins and city attorney Mike Valentine both support the measures. But officials want to look more closely at the proposed fund before approval.
The changes target chronic abusers of the city service. Families who do small renovation projects will not be affected, Leake said.
Wiggins said about 5 percent of the population abuses the policy.
The efforts are an attempt to control costs. Annual landfill fees paid by the city are approaching $100,000, Leake said.
"This is a way to hold down the costs for John Q. Taxpayer," Leake said.
He said his crew is familiar enough with their routes to identify recurring problems.
Removal of garbage from some residential locations is often time-consuming and slows down the normal work schedule, Leake said.
Unsightly garbage that sits out for lengthy periods of time also hurts property values for neighbors, he said.
Contractors have been known to leave their garbage behind for the city to collect. Those businesses that take advantage of the city are essentially fleecing city services, he said.
Plans for disposal of debris from major residential construction projects should be included in the contractors' services, Leake said.
Major clean-up projects involving entire buildings are another headache for the city.
The city has occasionally negotiated with property owners to clean up projects, but that is often a long, drawn out process. In one instance, the city cleaned up a two-story building, filled 29 industrial-sized dumpsters and charged $3,500 in return for landfill fees. Work by city employees was not covered in the liens.
If efforts by the city to work with specific property owners fail, the city would then cite the property as an environmental nuisance and consider fines after a 10-day waiting period.
The city could also clean up the property and then place a lien on the property to recover costs.
Revenues generated from liens would be placed into the unsafe building fund and used for other cleanup projects, Kennedy said.
Some residents need to be reminded that all garbage should be bagged and placed inside a 32-gallon container prior to pick up, Kennedy said.
