Sanitation Fund Town Hall Meetings

[jay]

The homeowners of Youngstown had a victory (sort of) at last night's city council meeting.  Amendments were added to the Sanitation Enterprise Fund legislation to take $10 off everyone's water bill but still add $10 to the sanitation fee.  While this appears to alleviate the burden for low water users, it still makes the homeowners foot the entire bill for the demolition of commercial properties which have not and will not pay anything into the Sanitation Enterprise Fund.

[cc4]

I'd suggest you call the mayor's office and your lame duck councilman

and repeat your excellent suggestions.  It is often the case that the city

schedules meetings when younger citizens are still at work.

[Rushblvd]

 1. Having the meeting only at 5:00 is not right for people who work till 5:00 or 6:00.
2. Having the meeting only at Covelli is not right.   

They should;
1. Have different times for the meeting to accommodate all the citizens.
     ** Early afternoon for older residents who don't drive at night or do not like to be out at night
     ** Later in the day ex. 6:00 pm for those who do work
2. Make the meeting Locations City Wide for people who do not have a way downtown. Use of library rooms, or possible churches in that particular area.

You may still only get a few people at each of these meetings, or possibly none at all. But you have given everyone a fair chance to attend and that way you can say "At least we tried."

[jay]

I attended the Wednesday, November 4 town hall.

The mayor was on the hot seat the entire time.  Almost everyone in the audience was against his idea.

Here is an example of how this fee structure is unfair.
One man in attendance claimed that his monthly water bill (water only) was $120.
A 30% reduction would reduce his monthly water bill by $36.  The sanitation demolition fee would cost him $10 per month.
Each month he would save $36 x .30 = $36.  Now subtract the $10.  He saves $26 per month ($26 x 12) or $312 per year.

A young adult on fixed income gave her example.  She lives alone and uses very little water.  Her use of one unit of water would save her $12 x .30 = $3.60.  But she will now pay the additional sanitation demolition fee of $10.  So she will now lose
$3.60 - $10 = - $6.40 per month.  In one year she will pay an additional $76.80 in fees.

One person saves $312 and the other loses $76.80.  Unfair!!!!!

[AllanY2525]

Has anyone been talking to their local ward councilperson, writing letters, or using
their 5 minutes with the Mayor, or contacting local media to make their feelings
known on this issue?

There were lots of comments on the Vindy's website where they posted an article
about this issue:

http://www.vindy.com/news/2015/oct/20/council-discusses-need-for-town-hall-mee/

[joly1584]

This is the only place I could find the proposed meetings with dates mentioned.  The only other place I saw any mention was an article in the Vindy.  It was buried in an article about the city council meeting in general and it only proposed the town hall meetings - no mention of dates, times or places.  No mention of the town hall meeting on any newscasts that I saw.

[AllanY2525]

Wow... that IS really sad.... sounds like it was more of a "Hall Closet Meeting"

If so many people are against what the city is proposing to do regarding the sanitation
fund then I can't help but wonder why only two people showed up to hear what they
had to say......





Are they planning on having another meeting?

[jay]

Tonight's Sanitation Fund town hall meeting was poorly attended.  Only 2 residents came to the meeting.

[AllanY2525]

If this is to be a one-way conversation with no one from the public allowed to speak or ask
questions, why bother with a town hall meeting?

A public announcement could simply be made via the local media.  You said that town hall
meeting(S) have been proposed, as in plural.  Why would they need to hold more than one
if this is only an announcement of how things are going to work with this move by the city?

[jay]

I'm getting vibes that the town hall is to explain "how the program will work" not "do you want this program."

[AllanY2525]

It's good that the city is soliciting the public's input, given the fact that this is a
controversial and important issue.

[jay]

Two town hall meetings have been proposed for the mayor's sanitation fund.
Tentative dates are
Wednesday, October 28
and
Wednesday, November 4