GCC plans no Tues. discussion of garbage pickup plan

GAINESVILLE - The City of Gainesville is trying to get the word out that although the item is still on the agenda, there will be no discussion on the plans to change garbage pickup service at Tuesday night's city council meeting but that the council will discuss increasing parking fines.

A city hall spokeswoman says the council will vote to table the matter in light of last week's decision for an 8-week pilot program calling for once-a-week backyard pickup.

Mayor Ruth Bruner announced plans for the pilot program, which starts April 19, at last week's city council work session.

"It's a big difference," Bruner said at the time. "Before we were looking to go once-a-week curbside pickup with the large 96-gallon containers. This a proposal to back up and let's look at a pilot project."

City officials had been under fire in recent weeks since first proposing that service be cut back to one-day-a-week, from two, and that all pickup be curbside, using containers that the city would furnish.

But Bruner said they are responding to the public's complaints.

"We've heard from so many people that don't want to change, yet we don't have the money to keep going the same way we've been going for all these years. Things have just come to an end of being able to supplement that program to make it work."

After the eight-week program, the Solid Waste Department will look at the results and see what changes need to be made.

Bruner said there will be two public meetings to review the proposals. Those meetings are tentatively set for July 15 and 22.

PARKING FINES

Also at last week's work session, the council was asked by City Marshal Debbie Jones to consider the following increases in parking fines:

*Parking in a fire lane, increase from $10 to $100.

*Parking in a handicapped zone, increase from $100 to $250.

*Parking on sidewalk, increase from $10 to $50.

*Parking in employee parking spaces or a lot without a permit, increase from $10 to $50

*All other parking violations not listed above will increase from $10.00 to $20.

The council still plans to discuss these proposals Tuesday night.