Iolans no longer will be permitted to leave their trash in oversized containers, such as 55-gallon drums, for city pick-up.
Iola City Council members voted in the new restrictions Tuesday, at the urging of EMC Insurance, which provides the city’s property and casualty coverage.
A number of ailments among employees, such as back injuries and muscle pulls, prompted the recommendation, City Administrator Carl Slaugh reported.
No single bag or container, when filled with trash, can weigh more than 75 pounds, Council members decided.
Containers without handles, such as large barrels, also are on the banned list because of the difficulty in lifting them. Large barrels also are the ones most
likely to exceed weight limits.
Council members stopped short of even more restrictions, such as ensuring all of their trash is in bags. (Many simply fill their outdoor receptacles without using garbage bags.)
Slaugh said the city’s primary concern is to prevent trash from being strewn about from wind or small animals.
Thus, trash left in smaller barrels or other containers must have lids, Slaugh said.
For receptacles without lids, the city recommends residents drill small holes in the bottom to prevent them from filling with water when it rains.
The city also reminds residents to watch what types of trash they leave behind. Slaugh recounted one instance in which an employee was splashed with muriatic acid because it was improperly left in a container. The worker escaped serious injury.
EMC LISTED other recommendations related to the city’s insurance coverage.
City crews will paint over graffiti that was found recently at the Riverside Park skate park equipment.
Graffiti should be removed as soon as possible, and a procedure should be implemented to ensure any new graffiti is promptly identified and removed, EMC’s recommendation said.
Slaugh agreed.
Other recommendations include having the city review its hiring practices by expanding interviews, drug check and pre-employment physicals.; review job descriptions to ensure physical restrictions are noted when an employee is hired; and the city should strengthen guidelines regarding return-to-work programs by using designated medical professionals to oversee individual employees and being creative with light duty work options.
COUNCIL MEMBERS approved a number of requests from the Farm-City Days Committee to ring in the annual fall festival, which opens tonight with a carnival in downtown Iola.
The requests are similar to past years, such as closing downtown portions of Jackson Avenue all week, and Jefferson and Washington avenues and West Street when needed.
Saturday’s 11 a.m. parade will include a new route, starting at the intersection of Jefferson and Monroe, heading south on Jefferson to Madison, west to Washington and back north on Washington.
Council members briefly discussed whether permitting live music on the free stage next to the courthouse will prompt complaints because the concerts are scheduled to last until 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday. The city fielded several calls during the recently completed PedalFest Sept. 12 because concerts at Riverside Park lasted past midnight.
Councilman Aaron Franklin, a member of the Farm-City Days Committee, assured Council the performers have been made aware of previous complaints. If the city receives such complaints this time, the concerts will be shut down immediately, he said.
The celebration runs through Sunday.
AMONG personnel actions, the Council accepted the resignation of Charles Ecton and rehired Danielle McNaught, both within the Iola Fire Department.
