St. Louis tackles illegal trash dumping

From: http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/metro/article_2d58edcd-0ccc-5548-9918-e00a6c31d668.html

Sgt. Ron Hasty was cruising city streets, looking for trash.

He pulled up to a home on Union Boulevard, slowed and marveled. A day earlier, the yard had been full of broken-down cars, busted furniture, a refrigerator, a doghouse and stacks of man-size tree trunk rounds. Hasty had threatened the residents with jail time if they didn't clean it up.

Not 24 hours later, green grass filled the space. Hasty rolled down his window and shouted to a man on the porch. "Outstanding!" he said. "Outstanding!"

This clean yard illustrates an unforseen side effect of the city's new residential trash collection program.

While many St. Louis residents are focused on the blue recycling bins coming to their alleys soon, or the $11-per-month bills just starting to hit mailboxes, some aldermen and leaders have quietly insisted the city also reinvigorate an old fight against illegal dumping.

The problem is acute — and disgusting. In some neighborhoods, block after block of alleys are lined with couches, mattresses, head-high piles of yard waste, and what investigators think must be the contents of entire basements — a mix of food, trash and clothing left to rot and stink behind abandoned homes.

Read more on this story at:  http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/metro/article_2d58edcd-0ccc-5548-9918-e00a6c31d668.html

Trash bills on their way to many city residents

DAVID HUNN > dhunn@post-dispatch.com - http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/political-fix/article_45f9a8a6-b779-11df-820f-00127992bc8b.html

The new St. Louis City trash bills are going out to residents this week. They should hit mailboxes today and tomorrow, according to city staff.  The $11 monthly charge will be added to units' water bills.

The city expects to send bills to north city residents first, as is its normal cycle. South city residents will receive bills in the next quarterly cycle.  Bills will reflect the length of service.

The city is also working to place recycling dumpsters, and expects them to begin showing in neighborhoods as soon as next month.

Some aldermen, however, especially in the northside, have decided not to place recycling dumpsters in their wards, and instead to focus on tracking and curbing illegal dumping.

(Read more about the City trash bills: http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/political-fix/article_45f9a8a6-b779-11df-820f-00127992bc8b.html

St. Louis Is a World-Class City

By Charles D. Schmitz
Posted: June 30, 2010
http://www.stlrcga.org/documents/mm/_100701_classcity.pdf

St. Louis is a world-class city, of that I have no doubt. But the truth is, the perception of St. Louis does not equal that reality, and we need to fix that. The solution may be simpler than you think. It is time to change the perception of our town — both internally and externally.

As a behavioral/social scientist who has studied people, relationships and perceptions for nearly four decades, I know that the perception of something can be far more powerful than its reality. Perception is reality. Change the perception, change the reality.

In mid-June, I had the pleasure of participating in the annual St. Louis Regional Chamber and Growth Association leadership trip. This year they visited Indianapolis. It was clear from the opening meeting that the Indy community had learned its talking points. The one refrain that we heard over and over went something like this:

"Indianapolis is the 14th most populated city in the United States." However, when I looked out the window of the various venues I kept saying to myself, "This place doesn't look like the 14th largest city!" I look out at St. Louis and its multiple skylines all the time and think to myself, "This is a big city!"

So the question of the day is this: Why are we the 53rd largest city in the United States and Indy the 14th largest city? And trust me on this. The "14th largest city" refrain is an impressive talking point. The "53rd largest city" refrain makes us sound like a third-class city.

Now, let's get to the truth of the matter. Indy and Marion County, Ind., merged in meaningful ways in 1970 to become the "City of Indianapolis." Voila, instant 14th largest city. And guess what, it is working for them. Think of all the positive publicity they are getting from that simple act. And before readers start getting all upset about the loss of local autonomy, Marion County and the City of Indianapolis became a city and they still have multiple school districts and municipalities.

If we merged St. Louis City and County, we would be the seventh largest city in the United States. Yes, seventh. And friends, let's face it, when we walk down the streets of any city in the world and someone asks us where we are from, we always answer St. Louis. Why? Because we are St. Louis. That's our global identity. And make no mistake about it, it is in our best interests to tell it like it is — we are the seventh largest city in the United States.

If we simply got everyone on board to do the half-dozen things we needed to merge St. Louis City and County into one large city, without losing the individual identities of our many municipalities, the Top 10 Cities in the United States by population would be as follows:

1. New York City

2. Los Angeles

3. Chicago

4. Houston

5. Phoenix

6. Philadelphia

7. St. Louis

8. San Antonio

9. San Diego

10. Dallas

Being a Top 10 City changes the world's perception of who we are and will bring opportunities our way that we could only have dreamed about.  And here's a few final thoughts: Folks say we have a high crime rate in "St. Louis." Not so. The combination of St. Louis City and County actually leaves us with a crime rate that is relatively low among large metro areas.

Some folks say we have a high dropout rate and poor schools. Not so. Our overall dropout rates are lower and our schools are better than the national average. All of the negative rankings about St. Louis change to the positive with the combining of City and County. This is an important residual. It encourages people to come here, holds people here, causes others to invest in us and makes all things become possible.

Change the perception, change the reality. In the world we live in, our failure to do this simple act will relegate us to the ash heap of history. On the other hand, merging the city and county into a "city" as defined by the U.S. Census Bureau, will increase our status, bring us unimaginable opportunities and change the perception that we are a third-rate city with a rank of 53 to our deserved lofty ranking of seven.

The choice is ours.

Charles D. Schmitz is a dean and professor in College of Education at University of Missouri-St. Louis.

St. Louis City Goes Back to Twice Weekly Trash Pickup

The city of St. Louis is going to be picking up trash two days a week citywide again.

Last fall, the city started a pilot program that collected trash once a week for about 40 percent of residents. The move saved the city about $300,000, but residents told News 4 the idea stunk.

The change will take place immediately. The city is also considering charging for trash pick up and starting a curbside recycling program. Those decisions made July 1.

Trash bill passes St. Louis City committee; Recycling included

By David Hunn, St. Louis Post-Dispatch
http://interact.stltoday.com/blogzone/political-fix/city-hall/2010/06/trash-bill-passes-st-louis-city-committee-single-stream-recycling-included/

Blue recycling dumpsters will be coming soon to a St. Louis alley near you. City dwellers will be paying for them, however.

The city aldermen’s Ways & Means committee passed the trash bill this morning, a step which will likely lead to the full board passing the measure next week.

The new program will charge $11 per month per unit – $132 per year – for trash pickup, which has been historically free in the city. In exchange, the city will add single-stream recycling, city-wide. Workers will begin moving the blue dumpsters into alleys as soon as possible, if the board of aldermen indeed pass the measure.

And it is certainly possible – however unlikely – that the bill won’t pass. There was vocal opposition from some aldermen this morning, concerned about enforcement and about fairness. Some felt the fee amounted to an illegal tax on residents, passed without a vote of the people.

The city’s attorney told the board it is not illegal.

But that didn’t squelch all complaint. Landlords and apartment owners have been particularly frustrated, said Bryan Young, president of St. Louis Investment Property Association – who noted that a four-unit building would be charged $528 per year.

“There is a lot of anger about all this,” he said. “They’re really ticked off.”

The bill goes before the board of aldermen tomorrow, and could pass next week.

STL City Proposes Trash Fee; May Violate State Constitution

http://interact.stltoday.com/blogzone/political-fix/political-fix/2010/05/could-citys-proposed-trash-fee-violate-state-constitution/

By Jake Wagman, St. Louis Post-Dispatch

ST. LOUIS — In a push to plug a gaping budget hole, city officials are hoping to begin charging residents about $100 a year for trash pick-up. Applying the fee incorrectly, though, could leave the city with a pile of legal rubbish.

In a recent hearing of the Board of Aldermen’s Ways and Means Committee, the city’s top lawyer, Patti Hageman, was asked whether the city’s plan runs afoul of Missouri’s so-called “Hancock Amendment,” which prohibits local governments from raising taxes without a vote of the people.

The city wants to charge $8 a month for trash collection. State legislation that would have allowed the city to add the charge to property tax bills fell short in Jefferson City. The city may chose, instead, to attach the charge onto water bills.

Why not send a separate bill?

For one, the additional costs for collection would partially negate the gains from charging for trash pick-up.

Second, the city needs to present the fee in a format that residents are likely to pay. Because, if they don’t pay, what’s the city going to do — let the trash pile-up?

Legally, however, trash pick-up poses another concern. City officials need to show the new charge really is a service fee — and not a new tax. Otherwise, it would run counter to Hancock and could be ripe for legal challenge.

“Missouri municipalities have been doing this all across the state without voter approval,” Hageman said at Tuesday’s committee hearing.

She’s right — smaller cities have curbed free trash service as the sagging economy has put a dent in their bottom lines.

But St. Louis officials must be extra careful to charge just property owners who use the trash service — not, say, vacant building owners, at least not at the same rate. Otherwise, the charge may be viewed as simply a revenue raiser — a.k.a., a tax hike — not a fee for service.

Either way, Hageman is prepared for legal challenge, even if the city’s trash plan is sound.

“Every time people get charged something, they are looking for ways not to pay,” Hageman said. “So they sue us.”

St. Louis area officials' failure to plan hurts the city and the region

Regarding "Now departing: American" (Sept. 18) in the Post Dispatch:

It never ceases to amaze me that St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay and his cronies never fess up to errors and shortcomings. Obviously, it's easier for them to cast blame elesewhere.

Their latest target is American Airlines, which made a business decision to reduce its air traffic at Lambert Airport(remember when we called it Lambert International Airport?). Simply because our city managers cannot plan ahead or offer inducements to new businesses, the whole city and area are made to suffer.

And to think, this same inept bunch wants St. Louis County to merge with the city. Obviously, what they lack in business acumen they make up with a sordid sense of humor.

Even so, it's not entirely their fault. An uninformed electorate and a biased newspaper put them into office and lack the foresight to strive for a two-party system in the city.

Richard H. Gerding — Concord Village
For more info: http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/editorialcommentary/story/7DAE314788A302A78625763B008165F6?OpenDocument

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Do two wrongs make a right? St. Louis County has its own inept bunch bumbling around Clayton. Same goes in the county placing blame and not taking responsibility. While Charlie Dooley and Garry Earls have had their successes, their failures far out weigh them in both numbers and cost.

Its time citizens in both the city and county take note and stand up to speak their piece. Unfortunately, too many of our leaders are not listening. When's the next election?

Mike Roberts, South Couonty