By JAN LARSON McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
After months of discussions on garbage bins cluttering front yards, the bins have yet to budge an inch.
Other college towns in Ohio have set clear rules about garbage bins in their communities, but Bowling Green is reluctant to ask residents to move their bins beyond the front of their homes.
City officials spent well over two hours discussing the issue again Tuesday evening – first during a committee meeting, then at the city council meeting.
Those who want the most sweeping changes have heard from citizens who are tired of overflowing trash cans sitting in front yards and littering their neighborhoods. Those who want minor changes have heard from citizens who say moving the bins back from the front of their homes would pose a hardship.
At the end of discussions, city council presented a watered down version of the original proposal – and it’s still not clear if that has enough support to pass a first reading at the next council meeting. City Council had wanted the new rules to be in place by time BGSU students arrived back in town at the end of August.
Those council members wanting the strictest rules were Daniel Gordon, Sandy Rowland and John Zanfardino. Those wanting the loosest requirements were Mike Aspacher, Theresa Charters Gavarone and Bruce Jeffers. Bob McOmber appeared to be the swing vote, with his secondary concern being clear wording that citizens can understand and the city can enforce.
Some in the audience appreciated the “healthy debate,” which was a little testy at times. But some were frustrated with the proposal that was weaker than they wanted.
“I’m very disappointed and depressed that a majority of the council can’t stand up for the older neighborhoods,” said Les Barber, who lives on North Prospect Street. Many of the older neighborhoods have been overtaken by rental properties, where residents take less pride in their homes. That leads to “degradation of those areas,” he said.
Barber questioned how the city will proceed with its neighborhood revitalization plan if city council can’t even enact strong trash bin rules.
Some on council wondered why other college communities have been able to enact rules requiring residents to keep their trash bins behind the front line of their homes – with little pushback from residents.
Kent and Oxford require trash cans stored behind the front of homes. Athens, Youngstown and Sylvania go further and prohibit trash cans from being visible from the street. In some communities, the requirements were initially met with resistance, but the citizens are now complying without complaint, according to reports presented from those cities.
“This does not seem to be a big deal for other communities,” Gordon said.
Those communities set the expectations, and “people rise to the occasion,” Zanfardino said.
Mayor Dick Edwards was asked for his opinion on the trash bin issue. He said the unsightly placement of cans was “increasingly a city-wide issue and distraction,” and that delaying action would only exacerbate the problem. “I do hope that we can move this along,” he said.
Edwards acknowledged that most neighboring cities and college communities in Ohio have already addressed the issue. He offered a “common sense approach” by requiring that all trash bins be placed to the side or back of homes, that they be removed from the curb after pickup within 24 hours, and that that lids be kept closed.
Anyone physically unable to place the bins away from the front of the home could seek an exemption from the city.
Edwards said this approach was not “heavy handed,” but shows respect for neighbors and the city’s aesthetics.
But Charters Gavarone said several of her constituents in the Fourth Ward store their garbage bins in front of their garages. She never got complaints about the bins before, but she is now hearing from residents upset about having to move them.
“There are quite a number of residents who will be affected by the legislation,” Charters Gavarone said. Some would have to rip out landscaping, and some would have trouble moving the bins through snow and mud.
“I’ve had a lot of people quite upset,” she said, asking that the bins still be permitted in front of garages. “Are we burdening people unnecessarily?”
But Rowland, who also lives in the Fourth Ward, said she has not heard complaints from residents about proposed changes. She noted that when driving around other communities, garbage cans aren’t left out where they can be seen.
Rowland, who is a Realtor, said others in the real estate business have taken note of the garbage cans left out in Bowling Green.
“I’m here to represent what’s best for Bowling Green,” she said. “I also think it’s going to help the overall look of our community.”
Rowland questioned whether or not moving a trash bin to a back yard is a true hardship for physically able residents. “Is that a burden, or is that what’s good for Bowling Green?”
She also said the lack of progress on this single issue does not bode well for the success of the city’s land use plan. “This is not a big issue,” she said of the bins.
Aspacher said, that like Charters Gavarone, he did not hear any complaints about garbage can placement until rules were proposed. He cautioned that the city should not over-reach and create hardships for many residents when trying to correct a problem that exists with 100 or fewer homes.
Several residents keeping their cans on asphalt in front of their garages would be faced with dragging them back through the yard or pouring a sidewalk.
Jeffers said an informal poll of people working in their yards over this past weekend showed that most people keep their cans in their garages. Most were not in favor of new restrictions.
Zanfardino tried to keep the proposal afloat, saying the mayor’s proposal seemed reasonable.
“This is done in a lot of cities, and why this is a crisis here is incredible to me,” he said.
Gordon also expressed frustration, saying that inconveniences for some residents don’t trump the quality of life issues experienced by others. “It’s causing my constituents a great deal of distress,” he said of the living conditions.
Gordon said the argument that some residents’ garages are too full of stuff was not worthy of sympathy. “I don’t find that to be a compelling one,” Gordon said.
But Charters Gavarone said she had to stand by her constituents.
“There were a lot of people who contacted me who are quite upset,” she said. “I’ve got to listen to the people in the Fourth Ward.”
The mayor noted that some communities’ rules are much more stringent.
“I think sometimes we sell our citizens short,” he said. “We’re trying to enhance property values not diminish them.”
The compromise reached Tuesday evening is similar to those rules adopted in Kent and Oxford. The rules would allow bins on the side of homes, but not in front. The lids must be kept closed on the bins. Exemptions for placement will be considered for people with health issues or undue hardships.
City Attorney Mike Marsh said he would write up legislation to be considered at the next council meeting. He suggested that the first offense would be met with a warning. The second offense would result in the trash bin being confiscated by the city, which owns the bins. The resident would then have to pay $25 to have the bin returned, he said.
