GARBAGE IN, GARBAGE OUT!

For those of you who attend Town Board meetings, you might be familiar with the practice of the Town Board Chair allowing citizens 3 minutes each to speak during the public comment period. The policy reads as follows:
                                                                                                                  
Public Comment Period (Beginning of a Meeting)

Although not required by Township ordinances, a public comment period will be held at the beginning of each Board meeting (following agenda approval) to receive input from individuals in attendance. The "public comment" section of the agenda is your opportunity to address items on the agenda or general comments to the Board. The following procedures will be followed:

Individuals wishing to be heard during this period will be required to sign in and indicate their
intention to speak before moving to speak.
     1. Public comment will be taken after the agenda is approved in the order of signature.
     2. The time allotted for all comments will be no longer than twenty (20) minutes.
     3. After recognition by the Chair, each individual will have up to three (3) minutes
         to speak and cannot assign any remaining time to someone else.  Time may be extended
         by the Chair based on the number of speakers and time available.
     4. Each person will stand up or stand at the podium, if one is available, and give their
         name, address and group affiliation (if applicable) before addressing the Board.
     5. If a group would like to address the Board, an appointed spokesperson will speak for the group.

It is requested that anyone bringing written materials to the meeting have seven (7)copies available - five for the Board, one for the public and one for the official record.

The Township Board supervisors will listen to your comments and may ask questions for clarification. It should be noted that this is a time for listening, not uncontrolled debate. If there is a need for a response from the Board, it should come at a later time when the Board has had time to deliberate the issue, to seek more information, or to take recommendations from its attorney.
(The information above is only a portion taken from the Policy on Citizen Input and Conduct at Township Meetings.)

At the March 10 Town Board meeting two citizens came before the Board with concerns regarding citizens
putting garbage/recycling in the Town Hall containers.  The citizens stated that the sheriff could do nothing about this and asked if the dumping practice was appropriate.  The Chair stated that he was not aware if the Township had a policy regarding this issue. The two citizens went well beyond the 3 minutes allowed and failed to bring the 7 copies of the sheriff's report they read from including 1 copy for the public. After the citizens continued to ask the same question, Chair Miller very politely and patiently stated that citizens should be "reasonable" regarding this matter and utilize "common sense". The citizen stated that she had garbage with her and was wondering if it was okay to dump it in the garbage container as other people seem to be allowed to do so.  The Chair asked the couple to put their concerns in writing and the topic could be discussed at the Reorganization Meeting. (The above comments can be accessed on the public comment portion of the March 10 Town Board meeting CD.)

What was the real motive for this concern? To the best of my knowledge this has NOT been an issue in the past, nor has it been necessary to implement a policy to regulate. Has someone been dumpster diving and checking on whether or not citizens have been putting paper in the Town Hall recycle or garbage containers?

The Town Hall garbage and recycle containers are on public property.  As a citizen, I would prefer that citizens utilize the containers if they find this is necessary rather than leave their trash along the roads where the road contractor picks up the trash at the expense of the citizens.  If I put something in the wastebasket inside the Town Hall, would I then be in violation of a policy which addresses garbage? Are Town Board Supervisors and Planning Commission members allowed to dispose of their volumes of paper work in the outdoor recycle bin? I would hope this is allowed. If a dumpster diver or a drive by citizen finds a piece of personal paper in the garbage or notices a citizen disposing of papers, will it be deemed an offense and worthy of calling the Dakota County Sheriff as has been done in the recent past? Will it be necessary to build an enclosure around the garbage/recycle containers with a secure lock?

The Town Board has many issues to contend with that are certainly more pressing than the dumpster issue.  Who will monitor the garbage/recycle bins? Does the Dakota County Sheriff's office have more important things to do than write reports regarding the garbage? I believe they do.

I highly recommend the Town Board supervisors give serious thought to all aspects of what a policy regarding garbage monitoring on public property would entail prior to the consideration of establishing a policy on managing the garbage containers. My experience has been that many citizens believe the Town Board makes policies and ordinances that over-regulate.  A policy to regulate the use of the Town Hall garbage receptacles, in my opinion, would be gross over-regulation and another expense for citizens to absorb.


For those who are curious as to who might throw something in the trash, it is good to know that dumpster diving on public property is not usually prohibited by law. After all "one person's trash is another's treasure." For those who choose to enhance their life by dumpster diving or are just plain nosey and/or have an agenda, there is a group, Dumpster Diving Together, that you might find of interest. Perhaps you might enjoy How to Dumpster Dive which includes 15 steps. Check the internet!