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Garbage regulations will be discussed when city council's Rules and Ordinances Committee meets at 6 p.m. Jan. 12.
"Everybody's complaining about the trash not being picked up on time," Councilwoman Cyndi Baronzzi Dickey said Tuesday night when contacted by phone.
During the day, it was hard not to notice the overflowing trash containers with more bags and boxes piled on top and to the side sitting by curbs throughout the city. She said there have been complaints about noise, too, and some trucks are leaking on city streets.
Dickey chairs the Rules & Ordinances Committee and announced the meeting during Tuesday's city council session. She said Councilman Sal Salvino approached her about discussing the garbage rules. She explained the discussion will include regulations for trash haulers and restrictions related to hours for pickup or possibly requiring truck inspections for registration.
Last year, council declined to seek out a contract for a single trash hauler program after two years of discussions. A majority of residents who filled out a survey regarding a single trash hauler program indicated they favored the idea.
Zoom information for the meeting will be announced.
The agenda for the committee meeting will also include moving the housing department into the health department and discussing income tax incentives.
Also announced by Dickey was a meeting of the Committee of the Whole set for 6 p.m. Feb. 2 regarding blight. Councilman Ron Zellers asked if a name change for a street to honor a member of the Tuskegee Airmen could be discussed also. She had some questions regarding the renaming first and said she would contact him.
City council members kicked off their first meeting of the year by reorganizing, with new committee assignments released. Dickey will remain the President Protem and chair of the Committee of the Whole, which includes all seven members of council. Councilman Andrew Null will remain as Clerk Protem.
New committee assignments include: Finance, chair Null, Salvino and Jake Gano; Utilities, chair Salvino, Null and Dennis Plegge; Parks, chair Plegge, Zellers, and Steve Faber; Economic Development, chair Gano, Salvino and Dickey; Streets, Alleys & Sidewalks, chair Faber, Zellers and Dickey; Traffic & Safety, chair Zellers, Faber and Plegge; and Rules & Ordinances, chair Dickey, Null and Gano.
Liaisons include Faber for Schools, Salvino for Perry Township, Gano for the Sustainable Opportunity Development Center, Null for the Historical/Preservation Society, Plegge for the Tourism Board, Zellers for the Shade Tree Commission and Dickey for the Design Review Board.
Mayor John Berlin announced several reappointments and appointments to various boards, some which required council confirmation. The list or reappointments included: Rick Lutsch and Rich Cochran to three-year terms on the Board of Housing Appeals; Tara Peters to a three-year term on the Design Review Board; Bruce Haddad and Bruce Williams to two-year terms on the Income Tax Review Board; Dan Engle, Janet Keene, BJ Abrams and William Dawes to three-year terms on the Tourism Board; and Robert Hodgson to a six-year term on the Utilities Commission.
Berlin also announced the appointment of former city Income Tax Administrator Fred Pamer to the Income Tax Review Board, taking the place of former city Treasurer and council member Bob Tullis, who chose not to be reappointed.
John Panezott was reappointed to a three-year term on the Parks Commission. By virtue of that appointment, he was also reappointed to the city Planning Commission and in turn, the Board of Zoning Appeals. Barb Loudon was also reappointed to a six-year term on the city Planning Commission. Berlin announced Samantha Bahr as a new appointment to the Planning Commission for a six-year term. Bahr, the sister of new city Councilman Jake Gano, will take the place of her mother, Kathy Gano, who chose not to be reappointed.
Berlin also announced that Lisa Cahill has been reappointed by the Design Review Board as the CLG Coordinator. He indicated that the reappointment of Ginger Grilli to the Design Review Board will be handled at the next meeting.
Berlin advised he'll be presenting his annual State of the City address at the next council meeting on Jan. 19 and said he's looking forward to a much improved 2021. During his report, he commended employees of the income tax department, including Pamer, Lori Wilson and Diana Harshman for their hard work in preparing for the transition to the Regional Income Tax Agency as the city's tax collector. Their office shut down for good on New Year's Eve. Praise for their work also came from city Law Director Brooke Zellers, city Treasurer K. Bret Apple, and Councilmen Steve Faber and Ron Zellers. Apple said there were $130,000 in delinquent taxes, representing about 2 percent of what was collected, which is below the average delinquency percentage of 3 to 3.5 percent.
Everyone also welcomed new member Gano, who said he appreciated all the kind sentiments and looked forward to working with all of them.
City Service/Safety Director Joe Cappuzzello recognized the good work of the street department employees on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day in removing snow. He said they spent the holiday away from their families making sure the streets were in good shape for the citizens of Salem and any guests.
mgreier@salemnews.net