Page 6 June 2011 This month’s report from councilman Sal DiCiccio City staff wants to move all trash collection to the curb or street, changing the long-standing alley pick-up service and forcing residents to store their own cans and roll them to the street twice a week. I oppose that, and here’s why: Expect to hear from staff that if you want to keep alley collection you’re going to have to pay more – as if you’re not paying enough right now. Phoenix taxpayers are paying a premium not for getting expanded services – or even retaining levels – but because city managers have awarded huge employee raises every year during the Great Recession. Average compensation for 15,000 city workers is up more than 20 percent (more than $17,000) since 2005. That’s why you have to pay more for water and everything else, and why the city added a food tax - not because a garbage truck has a tight turn in your alley. That’s why I oppose almost any rate hike the city proposes (and it has raised taxes and fees by more than $100 million in the past year) and I will, until Phoenix gets serious about dealing with public unions’ monopoly on labor and its unsustainable labor costs. But there are other reasons to oppose changing alley pick-up in the older neighborhoods that unfortunately also indicate that the city cares more about its convenience than hardships on its residents. In new areas, where the house and gates and pathways have been set up to accommodate street collection, it’s not a big deal. In decades-old mid-Phoenix neighborhoods, some gates are not sized for the standard roll-out container. Yards are not set up to store the bins, and concrete paths don’t exist to make it easy to roll the cans out to the street. So, residents have to resize gates, fi nd (if they can) and set up storage areas for the cans and either install pathways or drag the cans every week over grass or gravel or edging to get it to the street. Or, they have to leave stinky garbage cans in the garage, which makes for a fairly unappealing aroma, particularly in the hot summer. The older parts of city, which would have to convert, tend to have higher populations of seniors, who have more in their group with dif fi culty navigating those roll-out cans. While the city will help with those residents certi fi ed as disabled, it’s yet another red tape bureaucratic hoop to jump through, with no improvement in service (in fact, a deterioration of it). It’s counter-intuitive to believe that Phoenix can pick up your trash signi fi cantly cheaper if you put it in front of your house as opposed to the back - particularly considering that alley bins are bigger and require fewer stops. I’m generally a subscriber to the “if it isn’t broken, don’t fi x it” school, and this looks like an over-burdensome solution in search of a big problem. I understand that Public Works would like to have one - and only one - way to pick up trash. But I don’t see that making so many people go to the expense and labor of changing their gates, paths, yard layouts and storage areas is going to yield a commensurate improvement for the city. It certainly isn’t for residents. Councilman Sal DiCiccio represents District 6, which includes Ahwatukee, Arcadia, Biltmore, East Camelback and North Central. He can be reached at council. district.6@phoenix.gov or 602-262-7491. Lara Broadrick 602.628.7332 lara.broadrick@russlyon.com larabroadrick.com lara lara Broadrick REALTOR ® Experience. Networking. Results. Arcadia Living at its Finest Arcadia Living at its Finest 4115 North 4115 North Jokake okake Brian A. Serbin, DVM • Anthony Gilchrist, DVM Rachel Bart, DVM • Kristen Levine, DVM Y" - % 1Y!21Y ' 0 "1Y#6-2' !1 Y WWW.INGLESIDE.COM Check Out Our New State-of-the-Art Facility! 4855 East Thomas Road • Phoenix AZ 85018 602-840-3446 (HOSPITAL) • 602-952-1754 (GROOMING) Monday-Friday: 7am–6pm • Saturday: 8am–3pm Member Since 1959 Medical • Dental • Surgery • Boarding • Grooming • Obedience Training Grand Opening Celebration 10% off With every $50 purchase get a FREE Bag Pipes T-shirt 602-954-3880 3632 E. Indian School Rd. Phoeni x , AZ 85018 M-F 10am-8pm Sat 10am-6pm smoke accessories & custom hand blown glass k

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