City Council delays vote on trash issue

Even though several resolutions and ordinances passed, snow removal woes and aggravation over the citywide trash proposal led residents to speak up at the Kent City Council meeting last night.

The council continued to address resident complaints about mounds of snow on street corners and icy sidewalks.

“I watched students try to help each other up the sidewalks so they wouldn’t fall,” said Kent resident Connie Craven about the snow that gathered at Starbucks.

Council members concluded the authorization of an ordinance licensing private snowplow services is “now a moot point.” There is currently no official answer to the question about the best means of snow removal.

Another issue residents discussed was their dissatisfaction with the citywide trash proposal. Part of the plan is that Kent assumes all private property trash disposal services. The plan would be run by R & R Sanitation, and residents would be charged $2.40 per bag.

“We don’t force our city of Kent to use one trash hauler,” Kent resident John Thomas said. “We (the residents) need to pick the company that does the best for us.”

Thomas said he is the head of a six-person household family that produces one bag of trash a week. Thomas said he does not want to pay extra for garbage he does not produce.

The council made no resolution on the snow removal. Council also agreed to delay a vote on the citywide trash pickup issue. Council, however, did pass several other ordinances and resolutions.

Ordinances allowing the city manager to apply for $25,000 in grants from the Ohio State NatureWorks program passed.

An ordinance that authorized the collective bargaining agreement between Kent and the police officer unit, dispatch employee unit and civilian employee unit passed.

A resolution adopting certain Kent and Portage County areas for the use of a Neighborhood Stabilization Program and allowing the city manager to accept $1,253,137 in funding from the program also passed.

Contact public affairs reporter Gina Maldonado at [email protected].