Members of the Trenton City Council Monday night heard about plans for Rapid Removal Disposal to change the collection date on two of its residential routes beginning in January 2022.
A safety concern was expressed by the Jewett-Norris Library Director regarding motorists not halting for the 3 way stop at Main and Crowder, and the council discussed a request from the Grundy County Commission regarding rent paid by the county for its ambulance service to be located at the fire complex.
Rapid Removal Employee at Trenton, Jon Ceradsky, said the company operates trucks on seven trash pickup routes five days a week. He told the council that Waste Management requested assistance with its route at Trenton. In an effort to accommodate the request and be cost-effective for Rapid Removal, Ceradsky announced plans for the Wednesday route to shift to Tuesday, and one of the Thursday routes will move to Wednesday, hopefully in the first week of January.
Ceradsky noted the Wednesday route is in southwest Trenton, and the Thursday route that will change involves trash pickups between Oklahoma and the railroad tracks and south of 17th Street. Ceradsky told the council announcement of the change will be made to the news media and door hangars can be placed at the affected residences. It’s also to be posted on the city of Trenton website. The route changes do not affect the city of Trenton’s contract with Rapid Removal for residential trash collection. Council members expressed appreciation for being informed of a change.
Saying she’d rather be pro-active instead of reactive, Jewett-Norris Library Director Theresa Hunsaker expressed her concerns for pedestrian safety at Main and Crowder. It’s a three-way stop with signs on East and West Crowder as well as southbound on Main Street. She told the council of several instances where she has seen vehicles travel (or roll) through the intersection without stopping.
Hunsaker mentioned an incident last month when a child on a bicycle was nearly struck by a vehicle that had not stopped. Ms. Hunsaker fears eventually, someone will get injured by a vehicle at that intersection and has asked for any guidance from the council. Police Chief Rex Ross said officers have been watching the traffic there to the extent that time and staff permit. The city council listened to Ms. Hunsaker but took no action.
While the council took no action on a request to reduce the rent paid by Grundy County for its ambulance service to be located at the city-owned fire complex, members of the council requested a commissioner meet with them next month. January 10th was suggested. At a November 9th meeting, Presiding Commissioner Philip Ray approached the council and requested a review of the rent paid by Grundy County which is $1,100 per month. That figure is verified in a lease agreement dated June 17th of 2014 and signed then by a former Mayor of Trenton and three former Grundy County commissioners.
The council also was given a copy of the law enforcement center agreement dated July 23rd of 2007 allowing the police department to be located inside the county-owned law enforcement center. And the city provides the dispatching service.
The law enforcement center lease also was signed by three commissioners and the Trenton Mayor who are no longer in those offices. Commissioner Ray in November, and city officials Monday night, say the shared arrangements are working well, and no one wants to alter that.
Ray had questioned why the county was paying rent at the fire complex while the city pays no rent at the law enforcement center. Ray had made a suggestion last month that perhaps the county should pay $1.00 for the rent. The 2014 lease agreement shows 25 percent of the utilities (natural gas, electric, water, and sewer) at the city complex is paid by the county. A suggestion was made last night that maybe the cost of utilities could be split 50-50. The 2007 lease agreement shows the county paying the city $56,000 per year for dispatching services provided by city personnel. A suggestion was made by a city official that the dispatching fee should be reviewed because of increased costs for those services including employee wages.
The council requested an ordinance be prepared stating failure to dispose of trash and debris associated with a change in occupancy at a dwelling would be a public nuisance. Failure to remedy the situation within seven days of written notice would be considered a violation of the city ordinance for both the owner and the occupant.
TMU policies were approved on voice votes regarding water and sanitary sewer service connections. The low bid for five pad mount transformers was accepted from B and B Transformer for $26,895 to re-stock the TMU supply.
An announcement was made that all full-time firefighters have become certified as levels one and two, and three of them are training to be fire safety instructors. Two councilmen were absent Monday night. Those members were Duane Urich and Lance Otto.
