Here is some basic information on the City’s new “refuse fee.”
(Note: I will be writing a more detailed post about this topic in the near future.)
What?
Board Bill #99, Ordinance Relating to solid waste fees
St. Louis City Ordinance 68698 <—Read the ordinance here.
$11 per month, per dwelling unit refuse fee, applied to your Water Bill.
(Note: The fist bill has a typo, it says the number of months billed is “3″ when it should be “4″)
Who?
Alderman Steven Conway, Ward 8 (SPONSOR)
Alderman Jennifer Florida, Ward 15 (SPONSOR)
Citizens Service Bureau (CSB) – Responsible for Refuse-related questions on your Water Bill
*Contact the CSB to request an “Opt Out” form, to opt out of the new refuse plan.
St. Louis Streets Department - Responsible for placing the dumpsters in your alley
When?
**This is where details get fuzzy**
Introduced: 6/11/10
Effective Date: 7/2/10 <— this is the date fees began
1st Recycling dumpster sighting: 9/6/10 Shaw Neighborhood, 8th ward
1st Refuse fee bills: week of 11/1/10 <—- Only 2 wards with recycling, but all of us are now paying.
So when will your ward receive its recycling dumpsters? Below is the timeline put together by the City of St. Louis. In my opinion this is a poor excuse for a plan.
Source: City of St. Louis Refuse Division
| WARD |
WILL RESIDENTIAL RECYCLING PICK-UP SERVICE BE IMPLEMENTED IN MY WARD? |
WHEN WILL IT BE IMPLEMENTED? |
| 1 |
To Be Determined |
To Be Determined |
| 2 |
To Be Determined |
To Be Determined |
| 3 |
To Be Determined |
To Be Determined |
| 4 |
To Be Determined |
To Be Determined |
| 5 |
Yes |
To Be Determined |
| 6 |
Yes |
To Be Determined |
| 7 |
Yes |
To Be Determined |
| 8 |
Yes |
Week of October 11-15, 2010 |
| 9 |
To Be Determined |
To Be Determined |
| 10 |
Yes |
December 2010 |
| 11 |
Yes |
To Be Determined |
| 12 |
Yes |
To Be Determined |
| 13 |
Yes |
To Be Determined |
| 14 |
Yes |
To Be Determined |
| 15 |
Yes |
Mid-November 2010 |
| 16 |
Yes |
December 2010 |
| 17 |
To Be Determined |
To Be Determined |
| 18 |
To Be Determined |
To Be Determined |
| 19 |
Yes |
To Be Determined |
| 20 |
To Be Determined |
To Be Determined |
| 21 |
Yes |
To Be Determined |
| 22 |
To Be Determined |
To Be Determined |
| 23 |
In Part Of Ward For Now |
December 2010 |
| 24 |
In Part Of Ward For Now |
December 2010 |
| 25 |
Yes |
To Be Determined |
| 26 |
To Be Determined |
To Be Determined |
| 27 |
To Be Determined |
To Be Determined |
| 28 |
Yes |
Week of October 4-8, 2010
Dumpster Location Map Dumpster Location Lis |
Why?
So why are we expected to pay this new fee, if we are not receiving the services promised? According to Ald. Conway (the bill Sponsor), when I spoke with him Monday night, it’s because his colleagues (our aldermen) haven’t agreed to recycling in our wards yet. I call “shenanigans.” After a Recycling Press Conference held 11/10/10 at City Hall, the Post Dispatch was able to coax out some additional excuses reasons from our elected officials. I call “shenanigans” again. The reality is the Board of Alderman didn’t conduct their due diligence and develop a plan prior to implementation. So now you have a bunch of people paying for the promised service of recycling but only receiving trash pick up. The is is much more complicate that this, but I will address that in a different post.
If you want to know when you ward is getting recycling or why you are paying this new fee but aren’t receiving the new recycling services, I suggest you contact your alderman, the President of the Board of Alderman, Lewis Reed, the Director of the Streets Department, Todd Waeltermann (he’s responsible for placing the dumpsters), and the Citizen’s Service Bureau (314-622-4800).
Here is who to contact:
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