Jeffersonville council broadens definitions in trash law

Clark County

Discussion

September 1, 2009

Surplus in services contractual fund to pay for lean-to construction

By BRADEN LAMMERS The News and Tribune Tue Sep 01, 2009, 10:46 AM EDT

One ordinance regarding city sanitation was removed because it was deemed unnecessary and another passed its second reading at two Jeffersonville City Council meetings held Monday night.

During its regularly scheduled council meeting, city officials tossed out an ordinance requesting an allowance to transfer funds within the same department — Streets and Sanitation.

David Hosea, the department’s commissioner, requested transfer of funds within the sanitation fund budget from consumer trash cans to services contractual because he wants to add a lean-to structure to the storage barn across the street from the department to house vehicles.

“Mr. Hosea did not realize that he has $55,000 in services contractual in his budget,” said Ron Grooms, council member. “He said the estimate for the lean-to addition was going to be about $40,000.”

The department has the surplus because of residents of Oak Park purchasing trash cans required for an upcoming annexation of that area, causing the transfer of funds to be unnecessary.

In a special meeting prior to the council’s regular meeting, an ordinance outlining trash collection in Jeffersonville passed its second reading.

Ordinance 2009-OR-31 made minor changes to the current law — 2008-OR-51 — broadening the definition of a disposal unit trash can.

A disposal unit is now defined as, “any container for the purpose of disposing of refuse ... 96-gallons or less, with a hinged lid and lift bar.”

The amendment broadened the definition because residents were required to purchase either 96- or 48-gallon cans, but the city was selling 95-gallon and 65-gallon containers, as previously reported in The Evening News.

A limit on the number of trash cans per single residence was set at two before incurring an additional charge. There is no limit on the total amount of cans allowed if paying extra fees.

In other business

• The council approved a contract for newly appointed city attorney Greg Clark.

Like Larry Wilder, previous attorney for the council, Clark will be paid a retainer of $1,000 per month, which covers 10 hours of work. Any effort beyond that will net Clark $100 per hour, according to a previous article in The Evening News.

However, minor changes were made to Clark’s contract. The changes include a clause that would not allow Clark to receive benefits of regular city employees; removal of a clause stating, “the city council instructs the attorney to cooperate, communicate and share information with the members of Jeffersonville city government,” that would allow for greater confidentiality to exist between the client — city council —and attorney; and for each member of the council to receive a copy of the billing statement issued by Clark.

The contract was unanimously approved contingent upon the changes.

• The council released a calendar to discuss and approve its budget. All meetings are public and the dates are on Mondays or Wednesdays in September with many of the meetings tentative, dependent upon what is completed at the previous meeting.

Two definite meeting dates are Sept. 14 and Sept. 28, both at 7:30 p.m.

All tentative meetings must be publicly advertised if they are going to be legally held.

• Mayor Tom Galligan publicly thanked the crew of the LST-325 docked in Jeffersonville for 10 days.

The World War II-era craft left Sunday and about 10,000 people visited the boat while it was in Jeffersonville, Galligan said.