Tuesday, April 4, 2017

Stupid Idea

I happen to live in rural Mohave County, AZ, just outside of Kingman, and this is just a bad idea.
From the Kingman Daily Miner: Landlords will be required to provide commercial trash pickup service for residential tenants through an anti-littering ordinance amended Monday by Mohave County Board of Supervisors.
Failure to provide trash collection services at least once weekly to tenants occupying the rental property will be a Class I misdemeanor.
“Landlords shall provide and maintain appropriate receptacles and conveniences for the removal of ashes, garbage, rubbish and other waste incidental to occupancy of a dwelling unit and arrange for their removal,” the ordinance states.
The amended ordinance also provides a 10-day notice to litter generators to remove the litter when such notice is given by mail.
The ordinance, which was tabled from two previous board meetings, was approved by a 4-1 vote, with Supervisor Buster Johnson opposed.
He expressed at past board meetings that litter generators should be hauled off to jail under state laws for littering.
Johnson said the trash problem is never going away unless litter bugs face serious consequences. “Put some people in jail,” he said.
The ordinance addresses an ongoing problem with trash-littered properties in rural areas of the county that have become an eyesore for neighbors and a nuisance for law enforcement.
It is the responsibility of the landlord and tenant to have garbage disposal.  Yes, there are bad places in the rural area, and most of the time it is the person owning their home which are the worst litterers.
If someone has a messy yard, then fine them.  But don't mandate that the owner or the property pay for the removal- that should be worked out between landlord and tenant.
There are 3 trash collecting companies in town and their rates vary from $20 a month up to $50.  And we know just how honest trash collectors are- what if more expensive companies provide kickbacks to the landlords for their business and the renter now has to pay more in rent than if the renters were given a choice of who their trash collectors are.
And what if a renter wants to take their trash directly to the dump?
There is a place and time for government in people's lives and this is not one of the times.

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