MOUNT VERNON – Representatives from Rumpke Waste & Recycling appeared before the Mount Vernon City Council on Monday to apologize for errors in billing reported on April 16, which they said were quickly corrected, and customers who already paid those bills were credited to their account.
Law Director Rob Broeren asked the representatives, Municipal Sales Specialist Joseph Schoffstall and Operations Manager Kevin Sabo, if they were aware that city code requires the company to notify the city of price increases within seven days of their implementation. The last filing was made in 2022.
Sabo confirmed that $21.72 was the current lowest rate available for new customers.
Broeren said that’s not what the city requires them to file.
“You’re required to tell us what the lowest price you charge is,” he said.
City Councilmember Tammy Woods said the biggest question she gets from residents regards the times Rumpke trucks operate in the city. Residents say the trucks pick up their trash at two or three in the morning.
“Is there any possible way to start at 6 a.m. across the city?” she asked. “And I realize you guys serve more than one city, but it’s really gotten to be an issue.”
Sabo said if they start at 6 a.m., they get complaints that they are in school zones at the wrong time, and people going to work complain the trucks block the road when they need to leave home. Less traffic is on the roads when they operate in the city at those earlier hours. He suggested sharing where those complaints originated so they can attempt to adjust the schedule to reduce their number.
Levee conditions put residents, homes at risk
Tonja Kent of Maplewood Avenue asked why the city has not applied for federal and state grants to fix problems with the levee on the Kokosing River, which the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) decommissioned.
She said the mayor agreed during the last meeting that the levee endangers half the city.
Broeren said that the grants Kent mentioned require significant local funding, and the city did not have the money needed.
Kent said she lives in a high-risk area now because this infrastructure is not secure. It’s not just her FEMA insurance that is affected, but also her homeowner’s insurance.
Tonja Kent, 202 Maplewood Ave., spoke about FEMA decommissioning the levee on the Kokosing River, contending that this has shortened evacuation times in the event of a flood and raised her insurance rates. She asked why the city has not applied for various grants to remedy the problem. Broeren responded that grants typically require matching amounts from the city
Neighbors want the Vernonview Drive property owner to mow the field
Two Upland Terrace residents shared their concerns that a field on Vernonview Drive has not been mowed this summer.
Don Carr said the property has become a nuisance, with homeowners reporting an increase in “critters” like skunks, raccoons and groundhogs that also invade the adjacent properties.
He said an insect bite that caused an infection required him to go to the Knox Community Hospital emergency room on July 18. Tests revealed that he was infected with Lyme disease.
“It was also determined that the infection produced blood clots that, if left untreated, could have been possibly lethal,” he said.
Jeff Doup also complained about the property owner not mowing the field.
Broeren said he would speak with Public Safety Director Rick Dzik when he returned to the city on Tuesday to ask him to ask the city’s code enforcement officer about the problem and report back to City Council.
