Defense funds????

The City Council tried to cut services so they can waste money on defense funds using taxpayer money. The Mayor needs to GO!

tipsy, you are allowed 2 trash hauls every 12 monoths without charge. After that you are charged by the amount and how long it takes to load it. Me personally, I piled old carpet out on the curb and decided since had to PAY, I would add to the pile before calling for service...........the carpet sat there over a month ad Ive adopted the attitude that if the city could care less what the city looks like, neither do I. the other thing is tagging cans when cars are parked to close. my neighbors have apt dwelling visitors who arent familiar with the process of these carts. If the driver can get out and tag the can, why cant he write a ticket for the car........all that would take is a minor ordinance change. I am totally suprised that the city hasnt jumped all over that revenue. I was in attendence at the last council meeting where the Mayor said that this was a beginning business and we shouldnt dump it yet. I guess there are people who would pay extra for regular pick up of grass and leaves but it aint gonna be me. My suggestion is larger paper bags could be purchased in lots of 5 at grocery stores and garden centers. The price of the bags would include the pick up fee. the truck rolls up, picks up only those bags. NO extra billing for the city to do. It worked in Pasadena tx on garbage for a long time. it might work here.That way only those who use the service would be charged and no bookkeeping.

This editorial is so baseless that it would be deleted if it were a comment on this website. This has severely hurt the feelings of my intelligence.

Sure, yard waste pickup is a nearly essential service for the city to provide, but when the keystone cops are running the city, you gotta expect these kinds of lapses in judgment. The real interesting development will be where the money comes from.

I personally like (for once) Halepaska's frugal idea to use old existing trucks to pick up yard waste. (The same model could be used for single-stream curbside recycling.) We need to start encouraging the Council to think outside the box like this. While I reserve judgment until I see the final proposal on sales/distribution, the landfill methane collection scheme is another idea that shows promise. Government & business should always practice continuous improvement.

As to your statements that the council complied with community wants, that again is misinformation. The survey the council asked for and was conducted CLEARLY showed the community did NOT want this service to continue to the extent of those that responded. I see the council's action as caving to the demands of a small group of citizens, probably the more affluent (which is the only group Armstrong, Polasek and Halepaska listen to). The official survey conducted and the official results of that survey were followed initially until some of Armstrong's friends started complaining.

I personally don't care if the service is continued or stopped. I do care that several council members and the editorial staff of the newspaper want to close their eyes to the truth and try and pass this off as a great revelation that yard waste service should be continued.

Mr. Jerry James made several very professional and very easy to understand presentations regarding yard waste. There were no questions in anyone's minds that this service would discontinue Dec. 31st. It outrages me that Polasek sat in the meeting and stated that council had never OK'd this. As far as I am concerned his actions and words beg to the question of his integrity and honesty.

As far as the editorial board, why don't you guys actually review the facts before presenting your opinions. Your opinion in this editorial, like most, is not founded in reality. I think you live in the same place that Mayor Armstrong does where the reality of the world is not considered.

Victoria Advocate Editorial Board,

There are many statements in your editorial that really make we wonder if you even read your own news stories or pay any attention to what actually takes place at council meetings.

During the budget process it was articulated to the ENTIRE council, Mr. Polasek included, that to keep the yard waste service going a fee increase would be needed. This topic was discussed in more then one meeting, questions were raised as to how many staff would be displaced and a decision was made (or a head nod as Mayor Armstrong likes to refer to) to discontinue the service Jan. 1st. The budet for the solid waste did not include costs associated with this service past Dec. 31st, the employees who were to be displaced had already begun meeting with human resources to determine their future employment status and "staff" was moving forward with the "decision" made by council.

I refer you to the minutes of the Sept. 8th special meeting which have been approved and entered into the permanent record of the city:

"He [Jerry James]advised that surveys have gone out to citizens but if there is not enough demand for
that service would be discontinued [James was speaking during the discussion of Ordinance 2009-22 "Residential and Solid Waste Collection"]

Cm Polasek moved that the ordinance pass on second and third reading with Cm Halepaska
seconding the motion The ordinance passed on second and third reading by the following vote...

Minutes from 09/15/09 meeting
"Cm Polasek asked about the Hiller and Laurent problem That item would be discussed in
executive session He also asked how the yard waste survey turned out Director of Environmental
Services Jerry James advised that that they needed 1140 positive responses that citizens were
willing to participate in the service they only receive 880 which was not enough to provide that
service The current yard waste service will continue through January 1 but would then be
discontinued Mr James advised that the brush and bulky items and recycling center programs
would continue..." Again these minutes have been approved and entered into the city's permanent record.

Two meetings and two sets of minutes that clearly state the service would be discontinued Dec. 31st. What part of this does Mr. Polasek not understand.

Polasek's comments that the proposal to discontinue service was never OK'd is an outright lie, he made the motion to pass the ordinace that was very specific regarding what services would be continued and how they would be funded.

I don't understand why one would say that yard pickup is costing and they didn;t know where they would getting funding. Well, Oct 6 i had yard pickup and was charged 50.00 and it was added on my water bill.