Following a protracted discussion, the Watonga City Council has decided to help the citizens with tree debris.
At the regular meeting Tuesday, the council took up the matter of how to deal with brush and limbs. The city’s trash collection service, Veterans Waste, does not pick up anything larger than 4 feet long or 4 inches in diameter. Those smaller limbs and brush also have to be bundled and bound for pickup.
Meanwhile the fallen limbs and broken tree branches from multiple storms over the summer have piled up around the town.
“There are piles of limbs,” said council member Tina Willis. “Piles and piles. I think the city ought to go once every other month and pick up brush and limbs.”
The idea was originally floated by mayor Bill Seitter at last month’s meeting, although it was just part of a discussion of ideas at that time.
“The community supports the city,” Seitter said, citing multiple times the school district and city management has gone to the voters to ask for financial support. “I think this is something we ought to do for the community.”
Council member Ryan Bruner was not so easily convinced the plan wouldn’t backfire on the city.
“We have to be very clear with the community, that this is only for brush and limbs,” he pointed out. “Because what next, fence boards?”
The city attorney, Jared Harrison, said the clarity would begin with the ordinance. He wanted direction from the council as to what it wanted in the ordinance and how that should be spelled out.
For instance, he said, would the brush and limbs have to be placed on the curb?
Seitter said yes, but there had to be exceptions. “We have picked it up in the alleys for decades,” he noted.
Former mayor Gary Olsen, who was an audience member, said he personally would need an exception because one of the storms had toppled a backyard tree at his home. The remainder of the wreckage was stacked near the alley, not the front curb, for the sake of simplicity.
City manager Karrie Little suggested the homeowner contact the city if they needed alley pickup. Otherwise the dead vegetation could be placed curbside.
Seitter agreed that was a good compromise.
Harrison reminded the council that there would be an associated cost for the move.
“That cost would be very minimal,” Seitter replied. “We are looking at a week every other month. I think it’s an important aspect that needs to be done.”
Willis agreed, saying “This is an investment in the community and it will help balance the scales with the people.”
In the round, Harrison obtained clear guidance from the council that the ordinance should allow for limbs and brush pickup only. Including anything else in the stacks of brush would cause the entire pile to be left where it was placed. Alley pickup is possible if the occupants notify the city with a phone call that the service is needed. The date of pickup will be consistent once the calendar is figured out. For instance, it would be the same week every other month, like the second week.
The ordinance must be written and the contract with Veterans Waste adjusted so that the city can gather the brush and limbs without breaching its contract with Veterans. Once that is accomplished, the ordinance could be enacted using an emergency clause, so that there is no waiting period between passage and usage of the ordinance to begin picking up limbs and brush.