Columbia City Council seeks revisions to roll cart ordinance
COLUMBIA, Mo (KMIZ)
The Columbia City Council is looking to change the ordinance for its roll cart program.
During Monday’s City Council meeting, Ward 6 Councilwoman Betsy Peters took issue with the language surrounding the city’s current roll cart ordinance, specifically about the storage of roll carts.
“We have no ordinance in the city,” Peters said during the meeting. “We have no rules as to where roll carts go except on private property. Anywhere on private property.”
Peters wants the language to be more specific.
“That was one of the big concerns that people had, was roll carts littering the street or littering the sidewalk or whatever,” Peters said. “So, I’d like to ask legal to come up with an ordinance that would require roll carts to be up near the house.”
Dan Viets is a resident who has been opposed to roll carts being used in the city.
“They are ugly, they are unattractive, they are a blight on the landscape and most Columbia voters agree,” Viets said.
While Viets was against the implementation of roll carts, he agrees that the city needs to have a better-worded ordinance on where residents can store them after trash collection.
“The ordinance we have now is clearly not adequate," he said. "We need an ordinance with teeth in it that will give people an incentive to take those things out of the public view when they are not in use.”
The council decided to have the city’s legal team come back with a revised ordinance before the program begins on March 4.
City Manager De’Carlon Seewood said during the meeting that solid waste was paying for someone in code enforcement to enforce the bag policy, and that the same person would be responsible for enforcing the code under the updated ordinance.
The current ordinance states that roll carts can be placed at the curb as early as 4 p.m. the day before pickup, and be removed from the curb by 10 p.m. on collection day. The current roll cart ordinance, in full, states:
(1) Placement of refuse carts for collection.
a. All refuse carts shall be set out by the customer at the public curb, alley or other city designated location no earlier than 4:00 p.m. of the day preceding collection and no later than 6:30 a.m. on the collection day.
b, Customers shall remove all refuse carts from the curb or alley collection location no later than 10:00 p.m. on the collection day.
c. Customers shall leave at least three (3) feet between each refuse cart and at least eight (8) feet from any other object such as a vehicle or mail box.
d. Refuse carts are to be placed in locations with a minimum fifteen (15) feet of vertical clearance.
e. Customers shall only place the city-issued refuse cart(s) at the curb for collection.
f. Customers shall keep refuse cart lids closed when placing refuse cart at the curb for collection.
g, All refuse and yard waste bags must be placed inside the refuse cart and the cart lid must be fully closed. Any bags placed on top of the refuse cart or on the ground next to the refuse cart will not be collected.
h. Customers shall notify the city of any damage to the city-issued refuse cart(s). Damaged refuse carts will be replaced by the city, but may be charged to the customer for damages beyond "normal wear and tear."
i. Customers shall notify the city if the refuse cart is missing or has been stolen.
122-59 of the Columbia City code
Other Mid-Missouri cities have had roll-cart ordinances on the books for years. In Fulton, trash customers have to remove the cart from the curb within 24 hours of pickup, and the ordinance doesn't indicate a specific location on the property where it must be moved.
Fulton’s code for roll carts and waste containers, in full, reads:
Residential solid waste, yard waste, and recyclable containers shall be stored upon the residential premises. All containers for collection, tree limbs, yard wastes and recyclables shall be placed as near as practicable to the curb or edge of the nearest public or private street or alley abutting the property upon which the residence is located, except for those persons arranging with the manager for on-premises collection as permitted by section 94-108. No container shall be placed adjacent to any alley that is not accessible by a tandem truck driving through from street to street.
Containers shall not be placed for collection more than 24 hours before the regularly scheduled collection day. Containers shall be required to be removed from the curb or collection location and returned to the residential premises not more than 24 hours after the regularly scheduled collection day.
Fulton Municipal Code Sec. 94-112. - Storage and placement of waste and waste containers.
Jefferson City has a similar code which, in full, reads:
Residential requirements. Residential solid waste shall be stored in solid waste containers as approved or provided by the authorized collector. All containers shall be leak-proof, waterproof, and fitted with a fly-tight lid and shall be properly covered or closed at all times except when depositing waste therein or removing the contents thereof. Each residential user shall place its cans at the ground level to the front or rear, outside and immediately adjacent to the user's dwelling so the collector shall have free access thereto, unless the collector shall agree to a different location.
Jefferson City Municipal Code Sec. 30-14. - Solid waste storage requirements.
Roll carts are expected to be delivered to residents in February. The decision to switch to an automated trash collection system was made during a March City Council meeting.
Residents have the option of a 35-gallon, 64-gallon or 95- gallon each varying in price. Customers began making their selections at the beginning of October:
- 35-gallon: $12.87 per month
- 65-gallon: $17.37 per month (current rate used by City customers)
- 95-gallon: $22.50 per month
Check back for updates.
