Garbage pickup, city meeting times to change

New Rockford residents will want to make note of two key takeaways from the March 4 city commission meeting.

First, the green garbage totes will make a seasonal appearance in the streets from now on. After discussion with Waste Management staff, the commission decided to set a seasonal schedule for residential trash pickup.

The new schedule will go into effect May 1, with residents asked to continue putting their garbage totes in the alleys for pick up until November 1. Then, on November 1, trash pickup will take place in the streets for the winter months, or until May 1.

Residents with no alley adjacent to their property will continue to put their garbage totes in the street year-round.

The change came about for a few reasons. First, there is some confusion about where the totes should be left on pick-up day, Waste Management officials say. With random switches in the winter and spring due to poor alley conditions, garbage doesn’t get picked up when residents don’t get the memo about a temporary switch to the street.

Also, some residents have complained that it’s difficult to drag their garbage tote through the snow to the alley. While that isn’t really an issue this year with the minimal amount of snow that has fallen, in past years (such as 2023) it’s been a challenge to get them back and forth from their home to the alley on pick up day.

There were three options presented by Waste Management: pick up in the street year-round, pick up in the alley year-round or create a seasonal schedule.

“I’m all for one way or the other,” President Stu Richter stated.

“I really don’t like them out on the streets in the summer,” commissioner Kelly McKnight noted. “People do not bring them back off the street after pick up.”

Public Works Superintendent Bruce Hirchert said the city used to have a pick up schedule to reflect seasonal changes in alley conditions. Commissioners agreed that it was best to keep the totes in the alley over the summer and fall while giving residents relief from hauling their totes through the snow in the winter. The new schedule will also give the alleys relief from the heavy truck traffic in the spring when conditions aren’t favorable.

Residents are asked to remove their totes off the street promptly after their trash is picked up each week to keep the city neat.

The second thing to take note of relates to time. Commissioners agreed to make a temporary change to the time for the next few city meetings. The New Rockford City Commission will continue to meet on the first Monday of every month as per city ordinance, but the time will change from 7 p.m. to 9 a.m. Therefore, the April 1, May 6 and June 3 meetings will all be held at 9 a.m.

The purpose for the change is to accommodate the schedules of both the commissioners and the city staff. Holding the meetings during the day minimizes the extra work hours required of city staff to attend evening meetings, Richter says. The daytime schedule also works better for those who farm, so they don’t have to interrupt their work to come in for a meeting.

The city commission will hold a special meeting on Tuesday, March 12 (time TBA) to discuss the funding request for the airport that will be made to the state. City and county officials will hold a joint working session with the State Aeronautics Commission on Monday to review and solidify plans.