Last spring, the issue of whether or not Glenville would provide leaf pickup services to residents became a much-debated topic, with the Town Council eventually deciding to continue the practice. Leaf pickup is once again at the forefront of discussion, with officials not only debating whether to pick up leaves but also which residents would be included in the leaf pickup.
At the Wednesday, Sept. 10, work session, town officials talked about creating districts where residents would pay for the service on their tax bill.
Town Supervisor Frank Quinn said that leaves are not an issue for all residents, and those people should not have to pay for a service they don’t use. Some council members said that type of reasoning could lead to taxpayers dissecting their bills and questioning every fee.
If you don’t have a lawn full of leaves, why should you pay for the service? People don’t want to subscribe to something that doesn’t pertain to them. It’s the same thought, said Quinn.
Glenville already has a number of special taxing districts in place for water, sewer and drainage.
As the town considers the future of leaf pickup, Town Administrator Tony Germano said residents can expect the service to continue through the fall because it is already in the budget.
Town officials are looking at shrinking costs for 2009, eyeing a change in leaf pickup services as one of the possible ways. The town is looking into getting a cost analysis report to see if creating a special leaf pickup district would actually save money.
`People like knowing their streets will be plowed and leaves will be picked up. We would first have to make sure it is worth establishing an actual ‘leaf’ district,` said council member Mark Quinn.
Some council members, including Chris Koetzle, said the service should be left as is. Koetzle was instrumental is preserving the program in the last round of budget talks.
The council is also looking at replacing the Scotia Fire Department’s coverage of District 4, which includes the Scotia-Glenville Industrial Park. The town is looking at offers from the Thomas Corners and Buekendaal/Rectors fire departments. The town has worked with Scotia for a number of years, but Supervisor Quinn said Scotia’s rates have continued to increase.
`Right now we pay over $300,000 to Scotia. We are looking at saving money while still providing adequate coverage,` he said.
The town will also be looking at authorizing the purchase of a new police department radio system at a cost of $1.5 million, which will be bonding the cost over a 10-year period.
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