Parkersburg City Council passes recycling amendment
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PARKERSBURG - Parkersburg City Council on Tuesday approved the final reading of an ordinance changing the municipal recycling program to comply with a July court ruling.
Passed on a 6-3 vote, the ordinance means all city residents will be charged $3 a month for recycling to comply with a declaratory judgment issued by Wood County Circuit Court Judge J.D. Beane, who ruled the system implemented earlier this year charging residents who participated in recycling an additional $3 did not follow established state law.
Council members Wendy Tuck, Zak Huffman and Chris Rexroad voted against the ordinance.
The contract the city signed with Rumpke Waste and Recycling charges $15.25 a month per residential customer with a cart in the first year of the contract. The initial fee structure, which included a $1.50 surcharge for all residents and a $3 subscription fee for those who wanted a recycling cart, was designed to cover that cost while placing more of the burden on those who used the service.
But Beane ruled that did not comply with state law requiring cities with populations of 10,000 or more to provide curbside recycling.
About 1,400 customers signed up for recycling under that program. City officials proposed a $3-a-month fee for everyone based on an additional 1,000 people requesting carts, but said if more people participate, the price would have to increase.
During the meeting's public forum, some residents said they were not sure what they are actually going to end up paying, with some urging more background work to be done, such as surveys to estimate participation. Others said additional fees could have paid for a raise for municipal sanitation employees and allowed the city to still have control over rates and service.
The city's move to contract out sanitation and recycling services has been opposed by some residents, with a referendum petition to undo the ordinance approving a trash contract with Waste Management and a lawsuit over the suspension of recycling services last year eventually leading to Beane's declaratory judgment. Manpower issues were cited as officials began looking into contracting out services and there are no municipal sanitation employees at this time.
Brian Hayden of Parkersburg said not everyone needs a recycling bin, pointing to a neighbor whose family takes care of her recyclables and anything left she puts with his. He felt there were options as opposed to mandating a system where everyone is charged to use this service.
"I know I can't force my neighbors to do good things," he said. "I can't force people to make improvements."
Hayden said he felt the council did not show leadership in this matter.
Resident Caci Petrehn, a candidate for the West Virginia Senate, said that once the judgment was made in court, the city should have gone back and renegotiated the deal with Rumpke to reflect the ruling. Council approved a three-year contract with Rumpke, with an option for two additional years, in March.
"Did we actually negotiate the best deal possible?" Petrehn said. "Effective government is not just complying with the law; it is about protecting our taxpayers and asking hard questions before we pass those costs on to good people."
Mayor Tom Joyce said the original deal was crafted in a way that allowed people to participate or not. He said the ordinance does not require everyone to recycle, but they have to charge people the same amount if they use the service or not.
Joyce encouraged the council to vote in favor of the ordinance because it brings them into compliance with the ruling, even though he felt a mandatory order was wrong and volunteer participation is preferred.
"The more service you provide ... you are going to pay for it and it is going to cost more," Joyce said, noting increased service requires more equipment, personnel and other related costs.
For people who do not care for recycling, this is not a positive legislative action, the mayor said. For people who support recycling, it can be a good thing that might encourage others to start.
In other business, council unanimously passed an ordinance authorizing financing for the Parkersburg Utility Board’s planned $25,746,000 project to install a filtration system to remove forever chemicals from its water. The ordinance relates to an expected $5 million from the West Virginia Bureau of Public Health's Drinking Water Treatment Revolving Fund, although up to $12 million in principal-forgiveness loan funding is authorized in case there are overruns
An ordinance on final reading that would establish cumulative bulk and area standards for accessory structures also passed unanimously.
Council unanimously passed the first reading an ordinance on first reading vacating a portion of Seventh Street between Juliana and Ann streets, with the property reverting to the city’s Urban Renewal Authority. The move is part of WVU Medicine Camden Clark Medical Center’s planned $150 million expansion with a new east tower.
City Editor Evan Bevins contributed to this story.
Contact Brett Dunlap at bdunlap@newsandsentinel.com