Tuesday, April 06, 1999
Apartments must pick up trash charges
Reading ends free service
BY WALT SCHAEFER
The Cincinnati Enquirer
READING — After June 1, apartment owners here will be required to contract independently for garbage collection services following a decision by city council last month.
“This will save us about $60,000 a year,” Safety-Service Director Mike Rahall said. “We are one of the very few communities that has provided free garbage pickup services to apartments.”
In 1996, the city discontinued free waste collection services to businesses, “and it was the general thinking on council that we're simply extending that policy — that apartments are essentially small businesses,” Mr. Rahall said.
The measure passed council by a 5-1 vote with one abstention. Councilman Avery Proffitt opposed the measure, and Councilman James Pfennig, who owns an apartment building and a small business, abstained, Mr. Rahall said.
The city has 1,180 apartment units and about 30 to 40 owners ranging from small four-unit buildings to Lakeshore Apartments' 400 units.
“I'm not too happy about it; but what can you do?” said Keith Powell, owner of Powell Gardens Apartments on Hunt Road. Mr. Powell said he is aware Reading has been one of only a few cities to provide free collection to apartments, and “I appreciate what they have done. I have one bid so far, and it's $255 a month. I'm going to get some more.”
A manager at Lakeshore Apartments declined to comment.
“We don't use the city's service, anyway,” said Doug Stewart, who manages the 31-unit Jefferson Apartments on Reading Road. “I do think the apartment building owners should pay it and not pass it on to the tenants; but we already contract it out (to Rumpke).”
Mr. Rahall said Lakeshore owns other apartment complexes in Greater Cincinnati and contracts for garbage collection at those.
The new regulation applies to all apartment buildings where more than 50 percent of the residents are not members of the building ownership's family. Also, the owner must reside in the building.
The city will continue free residential garbage pick up.
In December, an effort to pass the cost of residential collection on to homeowners was defeated by a 4-3 vote.
The city has been investigating ways to help offset the effects of declining operating revenues. Earnings taxes for last year are projected about $3.8 million for this town of about 12,000.
Mayor Earl Schmidt projected the city would carry only about $500,000 into this year, down from about $700,000 that was carried over into the 1998 budget. Cutting residential garbage costs would have saved about $300,000 a year.
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