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By Carol Arnett

Trash enclosures were once again on the minds of the Florissant City Council at their recent  executive session before the regular council meeting. Current ordinances require that business enclose dumpsters.

Councilwoman Karen McKay said that she and Councilmen Keith English and Ben Hernandez met with some business owners to discuss the ordinance.  She said that some business owners said that they had received estimates of $10,000 to $12,000 to build a brick enclosures around their dumpsters.

“Some owners said they were told by city employees that the enclosure must match the building and have a concrete pad,” English said. He also gave an example of a business that backs to a creek, and said no one behind the business could see the dumpster when leaves were on the trees.

“The bottom line is that some businesses are hanging by a thread and will have to borrow money for this,” Hernandez said.

Councilman Tim Lee noted that the ordinance requiring the enclosures was not new. “We passed this over five years ago at the request of the Planning and Zoning Commission (P and Z),” he said. At that time, he said, businesses had 18 months to comply with the ordinance.

“We later made changes,” Lee added. “It doesn’t have to be brick and businesses can appeal if it creates a hardship.”

Some council members said that there seemed to be confusion among businesses as to what sort of screening or enclosures were required. “The screen can be fencing, trees or other appropriate screening,” Councilman John Grib said.

McKay also noted that businesses in Old Town were exempt, and that owners of businesses in other areas of the city were not happy that the rules were different in different parts of the city.

The council decided that McKay, Lee and Grib will meet with Mayor Robert Lowery and City Building Commissioner Phil Lum to make sure that city employees were aware of the regulations imposed by the ordinance.

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