Residents who fail to return their new roll carts from the curb after the day of trash collection and place them near their residence or garage will be subject to fines and jail after action Monday by the city council.
Council members voted unanimously during Monday’s regular meeting to amend the “unlawful acts” section of city code related to refuse and recycling as follows:
“Except on the scheduled day of collection, it shall be unlawful to place or store a refuse and/or recycling cart or any other refuse and/or recycling storage container outdoors at any location on the premises which is not immediately adjacent to a residential structure or accessory structure.”
According to a report in CoMoBUZ.com, city counselor Nancy Thompson explained that violations would fall under the city’s general penalty clause, which states that any act that is prohibited or declared to be unlawful “shall be punishable by a fine not to exceed $500 or by confinement not to exceed 90 days or by such both fine and imprisonment.”
Roll carts are currently being delivered to residents for use in the city’s new automated curbside trash pickup program. The new system for curbside pickup will begin March 4.
Utilities Director David Sorrell told council members that enforcement of the roll cart ordinance would be done by a staff member from the city’s neighborhood services department that is funded by the solid waste utility.
“I would anticipate that we only respond to complaints,” Sorrell said.
