If A Leaf Falls Without A Program, Who Makes A Noise?
Suddenly, the stately maple that shades your yard in the summer and vivifies it in the autumn is not such an unqualified asset after all.
Not if you live in Spokane and rely on the city’s annual leaf pickup program to haul away an ankle-deep layer of fallen foliage. The city is ending that four-year-old service.
Some desperate homeowners will move leaves furtively from their yards into the street where, short of DNA testing, city crews won’t be able to distinguish between residential leaves and the ones that have fallen in the street naturally - which the workers will collect.
But for those who play by the rules, fall now will mean the added personal time and expense of hauling bushels of leaves away - or turning your yard into a compost heap.
Savings to the city budget: an estimated $134,000.
If your lot is a small deciduous forest, you may wish the budget slashers would whack elsewhere. If not, you may be pleased not to be subsidizing your neighbors’ yard-waste disposal.
“Bagpipes” invites your comments.
I’ll be down to get you in a taxi, Honey …
Spokane School District 81 spent $10,800 last year on taxicabs to get a handful of students to and from school.
The explanation is that concerns about safety prevent a school bus from stopping at the youngsters’ homes. The school district asked for traffic-control changes that would allow school buses to stop, but the county said no because the section of Market Street involved is too narrow.
Incidentally, the state is willing to pay for the cabs as a “temporary” solution. School District 81 has had this cab policy for nine years.
Taxpayers, have you any ideas about how your public officials could handle this situation better?
Buyer, beware
Children, being human, don’t always turn out perfect. And they don’t come with warranties. A Spokane couple whose 18-year-old adopted daughter has required costly tutoring and counseling is suing state officials for not disclosing, before the adoption in 1977, that the girl suffered from fetal alcohol syndrome.
Is there any aspect of life that’s beyond the reach of litigation?
, DataTimes MEMO: “Bagpipes” appears Tuesdays and Thursdays. To respond, call Cityline at 458-8800, category 9881, from a Touch-Tone phone; or send a fax to 459-5098 or e-mail to dougf@spokesman.com. You also can leave Doug Floyd a message at 459-5577, extension 5466.