HUBBARD City officials oppose bill payment extension

A street official is concerned about where to dump leaves, branches and limbs.
By TIM YOVICH
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
HUBBARD -- It doesn't appear city council will extend the time for customers to pay their utility bills, despite the city's issuing nearly 300 shut-off notices for nonpayment of August electric, water and sewer bills.
"We worked on it for a year. I don't think it should be changed," Councilman William Williams, D-at-large, said during a caucus before council's regular session Tuesday.
Williams was referring to recently passed legislation that revamped the utility bill payment system to reduce delinquencies.
The new law calls for bills to be paid by the 25th of the month. They are considered delinquent a day later.
Because of the large number of complaints, Councilman Douglas Rohrer, D-at-large, told fellow lawmakers the law might be amended to give customers a three-day notice before shutting off their utilities.
"It's good to see it's being enforced," said Williams, chairman of council's utilities committee.
Councilwoman Bonnie Viele, D-1st, said she believes the number of shut-offs will decrease over time.
Dumping
In another matter discussed in caucus, the city is trying to find a new location to dump branches and limbs with the closing of the city dump.
After inspecting the dump behind Maple Grove Cemetery, the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency ordered it to be closed.
The area is too close to Mud Run creek, the EPA determined.
Auditor Michael Villano said debris in the dump will be hauled away, and the area will be seeded.
It is uncertain where the tree debris will be taken for disposal.
Jerry Campana, street department superintendent, also told lawmakers the Pennsylvania landfill where leaves are dumped may not have room for them this fall.
Campana said the nearest approved landfill for leaves is operated by LAS Recycling Inc. in Austintown.
LAS charges between $100 and $150 per truck load, Campana said, noting that the city collects about 130 loads of leaves in the fall.
Council also heard more complaints of flood damage during the recent rains.
Rita Bruce, a resident of West Park Manor, said she and fellow residents are tired of mud covering their patio.
She said everything from beer cans to baseballs are clogging a nearby ditch.
Mayor George Praznik said he thinks "everybody pulled together" during flooding in July and August.
He attributed some of the problems to drainage pipes being too small to carry away the water and questioned where the city would get the money to correct such problems.
yovich@vindy.com