Owosso OKs single trash hauler, tables park camping ban until spring

Owosso is moving to one trash hauler for the whole city. At its Oct. 5 regular meeting, the city council approved an amendment to Chapter 34, "Garbage and Rubbish," authorizing an exclusive contract for residential refuse, garbage and recycling collection, according to the minutes synopsis signed by Mayor Robert J. Teich, Jr. and City Clerk Amy K. Kohagen. The synopsis records the action as "The Council moved to approve the ordinance amendment as proposed" and does not give a vote count. All seven members — Teich, Mayor Pro-Tem Jerome C. Haber and councilmembers Janae L. Fear, Carl C. Ludington, Emily S. Olson, Rachel M. Osmer and Christopher D. Owens — were present, with no absences.

Eighteen people spoke at the hauler hearing, among them Kelly Cushman, Gil Humphreys, Pat Whitlock, Mike Cline, Dennis Mahoney, Sean Harrington, Kari Krantz, Tom Manke, Bob Craig, Elizabeth Byrne and Curtis Dowds. The reason the city gives for the change is in the ordinance title itself: a 2022 revision to Section 115 of the Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act, 1994 PA 451, requires every Michigan county to adopt a Materials Management Plan by 2028. After the vote, Krantz told the council the ordinance "does not preclude local haulers from providing recycling." Don Frolka, in the second round of citizen comments, asked why the council is insisting on going with a single hauler.

This has been building since summer. The Current reported that on Aug. 17 the council directed the city attorney to draft an ordinance authorizing one trash hauler citywide. The synopsis does not name a hauler, state what residents will pay, or say when exclusive collection begins.

The other hearing that night ended the opposite way. A proposed Sec. 21-10, which would prohibit unauthorized camping and overnight occupation of city-owned and city-controlled property, drew comment from 22 people, including Alicia Forkel, Justin McNamara, Terry Beach, Susan Kofta, Marlene Webster, Patti Bixby, Gary Beal, Ashley Shortz and Tom Manke. The council moved to table the ordinance until spring.

The shelter question came back in the second comment period. Jael Harrington told the council Kalamazoo has an ordinance the city could copy that could possibly allow the shelter to open this winter. Teich asked staff to look into it, and City Manager Nathan R. Henne said he would look into the possibility of fast-tracking a homeless shelter. Henne said he has been working with Hope Works Mid-Michigan, described the process for rezoning the Safe Center to accommodate a shelter — which he said would require the council to approve spot zoning against the advice of staff — and said the city has not been ignoring the homeless issue but is restricted from a funding standpoint.

Water bills took up much of the public comment. Kori Shook asked whether any councilmember could explain her bill and why capitalization and demand charges are larger for customers with larger lines, and asked for the city's rate study. Sean Harrington said water bills were far too high and suggested residents voluntarily round up their bills into a fund for people in need. Frolka said the recent increase was higher than the stated 25% and objected to payments made to Caledonia and Owosso townships for capital expenses. Shortz asked for a financial status report on recent water projects. Utilities Director Suchanek said the rate study is online and that he recently assembled a spreadsheet showing the status of all water projects. Teich asked about the $3 million state appropriation for new towers; Henne said he hasn't heard anything yet but that it has made it through the budgeting process, and that any rate adjustment would be made when the funding is paid. Osmer said $3 million "is a drop in the bucket" for water and wastewater work and that the council promised to review rates, not necessarily reduce them.

On the consent agenda, the council set a public hearing for 6:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 19 on Special Assessment District No. 2026-102, Hazards & Nuisances, covering unpaid costs for tearing down or abating hazards and nuisances. The council also approved the mayoral appointment of Garret Behar to the Parks and Recreation Commission, effective Oct. 5, with a term expiring June 30, 2028, and designated DPW Superintendent Benjamin "Chase" Peiffer as street administrator for Act 51 dealings with the state transportation department.

What happens next: the council meets again Monday, Oct. 19, with the 6:30 p.m. nuisance assessment hearing on the calendar. The camping ordinance returns in spring. Seven seats on city boards remain open, including three on the planning commission and alternate seats on the Building Board of Appeals and Zoning Board of Appeals. The meeting adjourned at 9:31 p.m.