A deal to change how garbage service is billed in Springfield is imminent, according to one of the idea's sponsors.
Ward 6 Alderman Cory Jobe says the city council could consider an ordinance in as little as two weeks.
"Overall if we could do a better job educating residents, telling them this is not an intrusion in their lives or in their service," says Jobe. "This is simply trying to bring a cohesive uniform style to garbage that people are supposed to already have."
The idea is to bill Springfield residents for one can of garbage service monthly through their CWLP bills, and the monthly recycling fee would go up by a dollar. But several issues remain unresolved, for example, who would be exempt and what's considered one can of garbage?
Ward 8 Alderman Kris Theilen, who's against the idea, admits the proposal could actually save some customers money.
"By ordinance, one can covers up to either 65 or 75 gallons," Theilen says. "So those single, large cans they give us from a couple of the garbage companies in town that they pick up with their trucks, that might actually count as one can."
Such cans are currently billed as two.
Theilen says his ward is split on the idea, he says about 95% of his constituents east of Chatham Rd. that have alley service are in favor of the idea, but those to the west of Chatham Rd. are generally opposed. Theilen recalls a large fly dumping problem from when he lived on Illinois Street... people drive up to a customer's garbage can, unload their garbage, and drive off.
The ordinance is designed to crack down on an estimated 3,000 homes that don't have garbage service.
(posted 7:35 p.m. 10/26/2012 by Alex Degman)