The city will not pick up yard waste that has been bagged or placed in the roadway.

By JIMMY LAWTON

OGDENSBURG – Ogdensburg Department of Public Works has issued 119 notices of non-compliance, handed out 60 informational notices and sent roughly 20 letters regarding problems related to brush pick ups.

Department of Public Works Director Scott Thornhill said the goal is to “train people” to become compliant with the city’s shifting brush-pickup policy, which has been undergoing changes for the past year.

Problems seen by DPW include animal waste intermingled with brush, debris left in the roadway and bagged leaves.

Ogdensburg councilors delayed plans to make changes to the city laws regarding, solid waste and littering policies Monday.

The proposed changes were designed to make the city compliant with state laws, however Deputy Mayor Michael Morley and councilor Dan Skamperle said they would not support the following language:

“No person shall sweep, throw or deposit or cause to be swept, thrown or deposited any ashes, dirt, stone, brick, leaves, grass, weeds, brush or any other debris or rubbish of any kind or any water or liquid of any kind except for purposes of cleansing the same into any public highway, street, gutter or public place or upon any sidewalk within the city.”

Morley said he interpreted this as people could be penalized for washing their cars.

Another point of contention was whether or not the city would pickup animal waste intermingled in the brush. Thornhill said they couldn’t put animal waste and plastic in the city landfill. However, he said the DPW isn’t sorting through all of the waste to find small amounts of feces that happen to get raked in. He said the problem is when people mix it in on purpose.

Thornhill said the DPW would use common sense regarding the matter.

The proposal would allow the city issue $100 fine for each 24 hours that a violation is continued.

Skamperle said that under this law the city could have collected more than $10,000 in fines over the past weekend.

Thornhill said his department isn’t looking to punish people, rather they intend to bring people into compliance through warnings and notices.

Mayor William Nelson and councilor William Hosmer were both excused from the meeting. Morley suggested the board revisit the proposals when the full board was available.

“I think we should table this,” he said.

Councilor Jennifer Stevenson voted against tabling the issues. She said the city has an obligation to be compliant with state law.

The council will likely revisit the proposals May 11.