Crestline council delays action on trash rate hike
CRESTLINE - Village Council has decided to have one more committee review before taking a third and final vote on an ordinance to raise trash collection rates two dollars per month.
Council voted at its regular meeting Monday night to refer the measure back to committee because of continued public concerns that the rate is higher than surrounding communities and that the contract could be improper.
Council is considering a request by Kurtzman Sanitation to amend section 721.07(a) of the village’s codified ordinances to raise the collection fee $2 per month for the three residential refuse collection permit holders. The company says the increase is necessary because of higher fees at the Crawford County landfill and increased operational costs.
Village resident Rodger Lozier told council during the public comment period that he recently checked trash collection rates of companies operating in Shelby, Ontario, Galion and Bucyrus and found that the highest is $17 per month. That compares to Crestline’s current $20 per month rate, which has been in effect for 14 years.
“We’re been ripped off $865 per family over the last 14 years if you consider a five-dollar per month difference at minimum,” Lozier said. “Council is supposed to take care of the people, so I hope you get something done and take care of the people.”
Fellow resident Dave Duncan claimed the trash contract represents a conflict of interest because several council members were working for Kurtzman when it was first approved. He also accused the company of providing free trash pickup for the Harvest Festival in hopes of getting the rate hike.
“If there was free enterprise in town you would not need to increase the rates because they would set themselves,” he said. “You inherited the situation, it’s corrupt and I’d like to see you fix it.”
Company owner Louis Kurtzman said his costs are higher because the Crawford County landfill charges a $51 dollar per ton dumping fee compared to $37.68 per ton at the Rumpke facility in Richland County. He explained that local rates are higher because Crawford County solid waste regulations have “flow control” provisions that protect landfill operations by requiring haulers that collect trash in Crawford County to take it to the county landfill.
“I have no choice. I have to take my trash here because I live in Crawford County,” Kurtzman said. “That’s all I have to say right now.”
Concerns surrounding the trash rate ordinance nearly derailed the entire council agenda after council clerk Annette Johnston noted that she incorrectly listed the reading as the second rather than the third. She explained that the error happened because the first reading on Dec. 14 was not listed in the meeting minutes.
Councilman Allen Moore questioned how the proposed ordinance was put back on the council agenda when it was referred to committee in December but never formally brought back by the committee.
Mayor Gloria McDonald said she exercised her right to put the measure on the agenda because the issue has been dragging on and she wanted a decision one way or another. She then broke a tie and voted to reject the agenda with the ordinance and later broke a second tie and voted to return the measure to committee and approve the rest of the agenda.
Council agreed to have a final vote on the rate hike by its first meeting in March. Crestline Council’s next legislative committee meeting is February 15 at 7 p.m.
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