Matt Stiles reported over the weekend that some new urban loft owners will finally be receiving basic trash services:
It took a year of complaints, two visits to City Council and a private audience with Mayor Bill White, but some frustrated Third Ward residents finally got their wish.
The city will start picking up their trash — for now, at least.
After hearing the complaints of Calumet Street Lofts residents earlier this week, White overruled his solid waste director, ordering that city trash bins be delivered to the residents.
At issue is whether the residents’ townhouse development is excluded from garbage service because it has narrow, private drives — paths city trucks aren’t permitted to navigate.
“We need some Band-Aid approach until we can figure out what to do in the long run,” said White, who is also reserving the right to take back the bins should city lawyers recommend it.
The residents argued that they pay city property taxes on their single-family units, and therefore deserve basic city services. They say their homes are surrounded by public streets, where they could roll their cans for pickup, making the units eligible under the city’s garbage ordinance.
The Mayor made the right call on this one, and it should be left at that.
That being said, it seems highly likely that the Mayor and his task force will eventually decide that a new trash pickup revenue stream is in order. The property taxes on expensive new urban lofts located on previously underdeveloped property surely aren’t enough of a windfall for this administration.
