Council looks at GF revenues, trash issue

DAVE MOSIER/independent editor

Van Wert Mayor Jerry Mazur read a proclamation honoring outgoing First Ward Van Wert City Councilman John Marshall, while City Council held discussions on coordinating recycling and trash pick-up and city General Fund finances during committee meetings held prior to its regular meeting on Monday evening.

The mayor’s proclamation honored Marshall for his accomplishments on City Council, as well as his community involvement. Marshall, who was serving his fifth term on Council, tendered his resignation at the September 26 meeting, citing health concerns.

Council members and city officials gave Marshall a standing ovation following the reading of the proclamation.

During a Finance Committee meeting, City Auditor Martha Balyeat chastised city officials for failing to move forward on budget concerns she raised earlier this year. Balyeat noted that, with a budget shortfall likely by 2018, City Council needs to move forward on efforts to either cut costs or increase revenues in the General Fund by then.

“You just can’t wait until the last minute, just like we can’t wait until the last minute to raise revenues; it takes a long time,” Balyeat said, noting that Council has yet to hold a committee meeting on the subject. “I’m just saying the ball needs to get rolling.”

Council President Pete Weir said Council needs to make a list of all the city initiatives to cut costs and increase revenues to make a case for raising revenues, which could include an income tax increase. Currently, the city is using revenues from its .22-percent safety services capital income tax for police and fire operating costs, but even that won’t be enough to balance the General Fund budget in two years, Balyeat has noted.

Factors in declining General Fund revenues include cuts in state funding, as well as the elimination of the estate tax, and low interest rates on investments, coupled with rising health insurance costs and inflation-related labor cost increases.

Balyeat said General Fund departments are doing a good job of keeping costs low, but that means there is little room for more cost-cutting. Moreover, even with small increases in income tax receipts, revenues are barely keeping up with expenses — a situation she feels can’t continue through 2018 without the generation of additional revenues.

The city auditor also explained that, while the city has approximately $9 million in investments, a majority of that money is from enterprise funds, such as the Water, Street Construction, and Sewer funds, which are restricted to use by those departments.

Also Monday, Council approved preparation of its 2017 temporary budget. The legislation will be read three times before passage.

Representatives of two city trash hauling companies were at a meeting of the Health, Service, and Safety Committee to discuss better coordination of trash and recycling collections within the city.

Mayor Mazur has noted that, because the approximately 30 entities that collect trash in the city do so on different days of the week, trash can be seen sitting in front of residences from one to five days before being collected.

Noting that curbside recycling is collected on a daily schedule in different portions of the city, the mayor said he feels trash haulers should follow the same schedule in the various city wards.

“If the trash haulers in town were to follow that same schedule, then there would be trash on the street one day, along with the recycling,” Mayor Mazur said.

The city administration is also looking at possibly having trash collection companies register in the city, as well as limiting the time trash can be placed at the curb and the empty containers removed from 5 a.m. until 10 p.m. daily.

Rich Riley of Young’s Trash Service, said he had no problem coordinating trash and recycling collections, since that is what the company currently does.

“We’ve done it for years,” Riley said, adding that the policy has even gotten him new customers. “People love trash and recycle (collection) the same day; it’s a no-brainer: get it out in one day and it’s done.”

Representatives of Republic Trash Services, which only collect trash in the city on one day, said they would look at the possibility of changing their operations to coordinate with recycling collections.

Third Ward Councilman Ken Markward was not overly enthusiastic about the idea, though, noting he felt forcing trash collectors to pick up trash five days a week could likely force some smaller companies out of business, as well as provide a barrier for new trash collectors.

More discussion is planned on the proposal.

The next meeting of Van Wert City Council will be at 7:30 p.m. Monday, October 24, in Council Chambers on the second floor of the Municipal Building, 515 E. Main St.