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Wednesday, November 4, 2009

Council Wants Nutter To Restore Mechanical Leaf Collection

City Council is again pushing back against one of Mayor Nutter’s budget cuts that they say impacts quality of life.

Councilman Frank Rizzo tomorrow plans to introduce a resolution asking Nutter to restore mechanical leaf collection throughout the city. That service was halted last year as part of the administration’s initial round of budget cuts in November.

“There are certain things you can’t put a price tag on,” said Rizzo, who said piles of uncollected leaves are both messy and dangerous.

The resolution is co-sponsored by Council members Anna Verna, Jannie Blackwell, Curtis Jones, Joan Krajewski, Donna Reed Miller, Marian Tasco and Brian O’Neill.

This year, instead of moving leaves to the street for mechanical collection, residents are being asked to put them out in brown paper biodegradable leaf bags or take them to one of three drop-off centers.
 
Posted by Catherine Lucey @ 12:51 PM  Permalink | 12 comments
Comments   
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 1:18 PM, 11/04/2009
    Is it truly that difficult to bag your leaves and put them on the curb? I did it all the time growing up, it's truly not the end of the world. Council ought to spend time on improving things that matter.
    — cool guy
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 1:30 PM, 11/04/2009
    Maybe we can get the money from cutting Ciry council paid aids. Better yet, let's cut some city council seats to better reflect the population of the city. Till then, I'll bag my leaves for pickup.
    — Jimmy CrackHead
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 2:00 PM, 11/04/2009
    You don't even have to bag them. Just compost them or just leave them on the ground. They will disappear on their own. Why waste time raking leaves?
    — dannmer
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 2:23 PM, 11/04/2009
    funny, the school district is underfunded but there's money to pick up leaves that disappear on their own. someone's priorities are screwed up.
    — dreinterests
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 3:40 PM, 11/04/2009
    This just shows that Council is unwilling to make any difficult decisions in this budget crisis. If they want to add any additional costs to the budget, they should have to pony up the money from their own budget to pay for it.
    — normajean
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 3:43 PM, 11/04/2009
    Leave the leaves right where they fall. Plant wheat instead of lawns, that way you only cut it once a year.
    — Mark Chalupa
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 4:13 PM, 11/04/2009
    Um, suburbanites, who has these sprawling lawns *in the city*?
    — A girl and a fan
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 5:03 PM, 11/04/2009
    To A girl and a fan - The city neighborhoods of East Mt.Airy, West Mt.Airy, Germantown, East Oak Lane, Chestnut Hill, Busleton, Olney, East Falls, etc. all have 100 year old or older trees that drop more than 10 bags of leaves on the property owners. If it were 10-20 bags I could handle it. Typically, we are talking a pile of leaves 90 feet long by 3 feet high for my property. In the old days, the city had three rounds of mechanical leaf collection. Last year it was one. As the owner of a multi-treed property who pays more taxes than most of the new center city condo and apartment dwellers; I applaud Councilman Rizzo because it IS a quality of life issue. We need to slay the "Dragon Lady" we have as managing director. Just because other cities don't do it is not a reason for Philadelphia not do it. We all know there are plenty of quality of life improvements other cites do for their residents that Philadelphia does not perform for us.
    — Usct51
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 5:16 PM, 11/04/2009
    UST51- you misunderstand me. We need leaf collection because we can't let leaves lie around and rot in our yards like some here are suggesting. They rot on the sidewalk and in storm drains and on the streets. Then they cause flooding and get slippery to cars and bikes.
    — A girl and a fan
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 12:42 AM, 11/05/2009
    A girl and a fan is absolutely correct. In neighborhoods where there are lots of trees, mechanical leaf collection is essential. It is a basic service that must continue. Otherwise, the gutters and sewers get clogged and substantial flooding follows. For me its just the last straw that leads me to wonder why I still live in the City. I am fortunate to live in a beautiful house, but a significant tax bill goes along with that privilege. I'm happy to pay, but I want something in return. Instead I end up with the latest indignity and service cut -- no leaf collection. Add in that the schools are poor, my street doesn't get plowed when it snows, property taxes are sure to rise as part of the reform of the BRT, and that the police are so undermanned that non-violent crimes get absolutely no attention (yep -- house was broken into along with dozens of others in my neighborhood over the summer) and I start asking is it worth it to live in the City? The logical answer is NO. Nutter just doesn't get it. Taxpayers expect and demand basic services. So Michael, lead and figure it out. Stop throwing up your hands or analyzing issues to death. You are a HUGE disappointment. Also, Bill Green, where is your endorsement of the resolution? Your neighbors would really appreciate it if leaf collection would continue. Since you rent your house and lawn care is provided by your landlord I guess you don't care.
    — Time to Leave
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 8:03 AM, 11/05/2009
    These neighborhoods should form a special taxing district. Call it a leaf and snow removal district. Collect the fee, hire a manager and contract out the removal.
    — bobcitydoc
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 8:52 AM, 11/05/2009
    Let's all take a moment to applaud a rational conversation occuring on philly.com.
    — factman


12 comments
About The Philly Clout Team
PhillyClout
Chris Brennan, a native Philadelphian and graduate of Temple University, joined the Daily News in 1999. He has written about SEPTA, the Philadelphia School District, the legalization of casino gambling, state government, the mayor, the governor, City Council and political campaigns.
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David Gambacorta spent a small eternity writing about cops, drug dealers and serial killers. Now he’s writing about power and politics ­– which sometimes reminds him of the old crime beat. He joined the Daily News in 2005. And yes, he knows you’re not quite sure how to pronounce his last name. E-mail tips to gambacd@phillynews.com
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Catherine Lucey joined the Daily News in 2002 and has written about murderous drug gangs, political protesters and Harry Potter. After covering the 2007 mayoral election, she moved over to the City Hall bureau where she has been reporting on the Nutter administration.
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Jan Ransom, a native New Yorker, joined the Daily News in 2010 after graduating from Howard University. She has since written about the difficulty of filing police complaints, tax deadbeats and life after violent home invasions. She joined the Daily News City Hall Bureau in 2011 and has plunged headfirst into reporting on administration budget battles and City Council shenanigans.
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Catherine Lucey
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Chris Brennan
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