Apartment owners have until Wednesday to arrange for trash collection for their buildings.
LEWISTON – Apartment building owners have a few days to get their city trash collections figured out.
The city begins charging apartments of four or more units for collections on Aug. 4. Apartment owners have until Wednesday to contact the city and either arrange to pay for collections or prove that they live in their apartment buildings.
“I’ve called about 300 different people in the last two days,” said City Auditor Heather Hunter. “We’re trying to contact everyone that might be affected so that it’s not a surprise to them.”
Of the 602 properties that qualify, Hunter said she has yet to make contact with owners of 275 buildings.
“Many of the people I still need to reach own multiple units,” Hunter said. “If I can reach one person that owns 90 different apartment units, that will solve a lot of problems.”
Councilors approved the new trash collections policy as part of their fiscal year 2003-04 budget. The city will not charge a fee to collect trash from apartment buildings with fewer than four units or buildings that are owner occupied. Buildings with four or more apartments that are not owner occupied will be charged $1.35 per unit per week. For a nine-apartment building, that would cost $48.60 per month.
The move is expected to save the city about $220,000 a year.
Hunter said most of the owners she contacts have opted to pay for city collections.
“It’s hard to beat the price,” she said. “I have talked to a few of the bigger landlords that own more properties and they’ve opted to handle everything themselves. But most of the others are choosing the city’s program, once they get past the fact that they have to pay for them now.”
The city will begin fining property owners that haven’t made arrangements, according Rob Stalford, city solid waste superintendent.
Officials will notify property owners who have trash in front of their buildings and the owners will have four hours to get the trash moved.
The city will move the trash if it’s left, but will fine the owner. The first time, the city will charge double the cost of moving the trash or $200. The fine increases to triple the cost of moving the trash or $400 for subsequent offenses.
staylor@sunjournal.com
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