Valley Council Proposes Way to Clean up Thousand Dollar Mess

Local residents try to clean up a mess that's costing one city thousands of dollars.

City officials say some residents are getting away with not paying for their garbage pick-up. 

Currently, every trash bag should have a sticker to indicate that it's paid for, but some residents aren't doing that.

Wednesday, the city council heard feedback on a proposal to ensure everyone is paying what they owe. That end goal is one thing they all agree on.

"Losing over $300,000 a year is not acceptable.This is money that should be used to make our city better," said Timothy Salters with the Vincennes City Council.

Vincennes City Council member Timothy Salters says it's because several residents abused the sticker and tote system that's currently in place. He and many residents are tired of losing money.

"Those who are not paying the sticker system are stealing from the neighbors," said Vincennes resident Gene Williams.

Vincennes resident Gene Williams is eager for a solution, like the current proposal to privatize.

"You wouldn't have to deal with stickers, you would just put your trash in the tote, the truck would come by and dump it. This way we wouldn't have to worry about people cheating the system," said Vincennes Mayor Joe Yochum.

Vincennes Mayor Joe Yochum says residents would pay a basic fee of $9.50 each month, which officials say is not a lot compared to neighboring cities.

"The residents in our county with this same service pay on average about $30 a month,"said Yochum.

Williams says he likes the idea, but has some concerns.

"There are several people in the community who work for businesses that allow them to bring their trash in and put it in their dumpster," said Williams.

The mayor says under the current proposal, there are no exclusions...everyone would have to pay.

"My biggest concern is being fair with the people. If you use the service you should pay for it, and if you don't, you shouldn't have to," said Williams.

But the mayor says if the proposal passed, before they'd consider allowing people to opt out, he'd want residents to keep in mind a few things.

"When you allow people to opt out, the people who abuse the system now...what's going to keep them from opting out," said Yochum.

The council will continue to review the proposal, but councilmen say a resolution is needed so the city can focus on other areas.

"We've neglected certain things because we've focused so much time on trash," said Salters.

The mayor also says that if the proposal passed, the extra money from that would allow the city to improve streets and various projects.