Unintended consequences of Portage trash vote
A vote to overturn Portage’s single-hauler trash system could have unintended consequences. Portage City Council members on Tuesday said the language of a ballot initiative is overly broad, targeting all single-hauler services. That would seem to include leaf and yard waste pickup, the city’s popular composting program, and even Christmas tree pickup – all services handled by individual providers.
Tuesday’s discussion came as council members considered the language of a proposal that will go to voters in May. A petition drive organized by Best Way Disposal gathered enough signatures to put the issue on the ballot. That followed the city’s decision to contract with one trash hauler for all residential services in place of residents picking their own provider.
“Within the next 30 days (after the May election) we’ll be prepared to discontinue those services if in fact it looks like that’s what the new ordinance would require now,” said City Manager Patrick McGinnis. He said they’re checking with attorneys to be sure…