Glass City Jungle

Those in attendance when the meeting began Ashford, Craig, Webb, McNamara, Waniewski, Ludeman present
Collins was in attendance but is not a committee member
Copeland, Sarantou were not present when the meeting began
Sarantou and Steel (who is not on the committee but attended) arrived after it began.
I’ll cut to the chase for those of you not interested [...]

As I read this morning’s Blade, I came across this article on today’s Toledo City Council committee meeting on the proposed trash rule changes, (link). When I read this — it didn’t make sense:
The calls for bulk pickup in the past three weeks have averaged more than 320 a week, said Dave Welch, Toledo’s [...]

To make it easy for those of you looking for complete details, the proposed rules and regulations can be found on the blog here. Initially Toledo City Council was to be given until the end of business day today (June 2) to make comments with the rules going into effect in a little more [...]

A statement in support of Issue 5 sent out by Toledo City Councilman George Sarantou and posted here, (link) on April 22, makes it pretty clear what was promised and when:

At the March 30th, 2010 City Council meeting, I asked Mayor Bell to commit to lowering the new trash fee of $15.00 and I [...]

The following was received via e-mail from District 5 Toledo City Councilman Tom Waniewski, it is his regular newsletter, the text portion and links are shared in full:
Free Refuse Drop Off
Ever since Toledo went to automated refuse pick up, I’ve received numerous calls about extra garbage. Right now, you have to give the refuse [...]

One of the ways voters were encouraged to vote for Issue 5 was the promise that their trash fee would go down, now the debate begins on how much it will go down. WTVG has the story, (link) as far as the basics. It was not presented to Council at this week’s agenda [...]

WTOL has a story on what some of the suburban areas outside of Toledo charge for trash collection. I thought it would be interesting to also share what some of the larger cities in Ohio have discussed or adopted concerning trash fees. In Columbus the idea of raising trash services up to $18.24 [...]

Back when the whole incentive was created to try to encourage more Toledo residents to recycle, we actually were not losing money on our recycling program and we did not have an automated trash service. Every single person who has been given or will be given the new trash carts is being given one [...]

This in via e-mail from the Mike Bell administration:
Mayor Asks Council to Pull Ordinance Authorizing Tax Increase
At this afternoon’s City Council Committee of the Whole meeting, Mayor Michael P. Bell recommended to members of Council that the proposed ordinance authorizing a ballot initiative to increase the city income tax be pulled from the [...]

City Refuse Collection Will Leap Forward for Presidents Day Holiday
No Refuse or Recycling Collection on Monday, February 15th
The City of Toledo would like to remind you that our next Leap Forward holiday will be Monday, February 15th. There will be no refuse or recycling collection on that day in observance of the Presidents Day [...]

One noticeable difference between Columbus’s Color Calendar system and ours is it does not appear that trash collectors get the day after Thanksgiving or Christmas Eve day off of work in Columbus. That’s a mere two days though, and for some reason residents of Columbus have been able to follow this without it being [...]

I haven’t gotten a release on this, but the Toledo Free Press has an article up about the latest directors:
Bell said he will keep Michael Navarre as chief of police, and Mike Wolever as chief of Toledo Fire Rescue.
After working with the two men for a number of years and “trusting them with my life,” [...]

Some of you have noticed on the left sidebar there is a link to a Facebook page for Glass City Jungle that I started a few weeks ago, it’s where I’m posting short notes and links to videos. Just a few moments ago I added video taken from my upstairs window of the automated [...]

This in via e-mail from the office of District 2 Toledo City Councilman D. Michael Collins:
District 1 Councilwoman Wilma Brown and District 2 Councilman D. Michael Collins will co-host a public meeting on the City of Toledo’s Transition to Automated Refuse & Recycling Collection
WHAT: Public Meeting on the Transition to Automated Refuse [...]

The below was received via e-mail from Toledo City Council District 2 Councilman D. Michael Collins in his November 2009 newsletter:
A message from Councilman Collins:
Greetings:
As we enter into this Holiday season, while we have challenges that cannot be denied, we also have opportunities to make this season a very special experience – both personally [...]

PDF of the decision by the Ohio Court of Appeals, 6th Appellate District, the basics:
The trial court rejected appellant’s argument, ruling that, in Ohio law, a “fee,” although legally distinguishable from a tax, is encompassed in the words “taxes or assessments” found in R.C. 2723.03. Consequently, the court denied appellant’s motion for a partial summary [...]

This in via e-mail from the Lucas County Commissioners:
Lucas County Celebrates America Recycles Day
The Board of Lucas County Commissioners Announces Local Partnership for America Recycles Day Event at the Toledo Zoo
Sunday, November 15, 2009 is America Recycles Day (ARD). ARD is a nationally recognized day dedicated to encouraging Americans to [...]

The title is one of the comments made last night at the “Transition to Automated Refuse & Recycling Collection Meeting” as reported by FOX Toledo. I could debate it just being East Toledo, try being in the part of the City that’s South Toledo but is in District 3…
But the topic of trash is [...]

This in via e-mail from the office of Mayor Carty Finkbeiner:
Transition to Automated Refuse & Recycling Collection Meetings
Starting Monday, November 9th, Toledo City Council will host District Transition to Automated Refuse & Recycling Collection Meetings. A representative of the Div. of Solid Waste will provide information on cart distribution and usage other key information [...]

Okay so I couldn’t help think Bring out your dead through Metacafe since YouTube is down… I’m sure more than just me could use just a quick laughter/chuckle moment…With that, the following release from the City of Toledo for those of you living in the automated pilot trash program area:
City to Perform Maintenance on [...]

The full notes from the finance committee meeting are on the blog, and there was some additional media coverage, Blade as an example that confirms that on Thursday when pressed, Lourdes Santiago stated the City would support the RFP process for a recycling program incentive like Recycling Bank. That Thursday committee meeting made it [...]

Teamwork Toledo to Oppose Garbage Tax Increase
Teamwork Toledo members Kevin Milliken, Tricia Lyons and John Adams, Jr. will hold a press conference to call on Toledo City Council to once again reject the mayor’s request for an increase in the monthly trash fee. This time, two council members—who are also running to retain their seats—have [...]

It’s been corrected on the online version of the Blade story but the print version of the story which appears on the first page of the Second news section, when it jumps to the second page incorrectly reports the estimated cost for households to participate in the Recycle Bank program as $6.00 to 8.00 dollars [...]

The following is notes from the Finance Committee Meeting held today. Present were Collins, Sarantou, Szollosi, Webb, Ashford, Steel, McNamara, Shultz
The first question was related to was a confidential document and Collins wanted to know if he could release it. The Law Director said he could not waive it but that as a [...]

Quite a few cities that do have automated trash collection do charge residents for cans, some initially, some if the person wants an extra can, so the plan that Councilman Collins suggested as covered in the Blade is not without merit.
This part of the Blade article also raised some questions for me (emphasis [...]

Mayor advises city to keep own crews on new trash trucks which means automation is coming. City Council still has to approve the purchase of the new trucks, and there are many questions that have not been answered when it comes to the switch to automation. The reality is this will end unlimited [...]

NBC24 has the story and a copy of the ruling from the arbitrator. They are also reporting:
City refuse workers are fuming after an arbitrator ruled that Mayor Carty Finkbeiner has the right to privatize trash collection.
NBC24 is the only media outlet to obtain the ruling.
The refuse workers met to discuss the ruling saturday.
On Monday, [...]

I guess it goes to show you how uninformed some in our public are and how little they pay attention to City Council as well as the job our media does in informing people as to what is stated at City Council Meetings. While I hope the person selling the t-shirts to police officers [...]

The Blade reports, Mayor Finkbeiner outlines new plan for balancing budget but once again the information provided isn’t complete it only adds up to 12.87 million dollars and there is no way laying off 40 police officers is going to generate 14.3 million dollars.
The mayor’s budget plan, previously rejected by council, would eliminate 50 [...]

There was quite a bit of information missing from the Blade article today, Budget ills may trash Toledo curbside recycling.
Information like, exactly how much as the City of Toledo generated from the trash fee which still does charge those who recycle, though at a reduced amount, what would happen to that trash fee [...]