Newport Garbage Controversy Runs Deep Council Member Pushes For Mandatory Pickup, But Others Say Cost Is Prohibitive

One man’s skunk control is another man’s socialism in this city of 1,910 not-always-harmonious souls.

A proposal to require every business and household to pay for garbage collection is, well, causing a stink.

City Councilman P.J. Hillestad said he is leading the drive for mandatory garbage collection as a means of cutting down on smelly garbage piles which attract varmints. The issue will be aired publicly at 7 p.m. March 11 at City Hall.

“We have enough problems with raccoons and skunks around here without feeding them,” Hillestad said.

But some landlords and business people are fighting for their right to continue hauling their own garbage.

President Mitch Brown said the Newport-Oldtown Chamber of Commerce opposes the measure “because it will cost a lot of the businesses and the people who own rental property a lot of money.” Many businesses already are “stretched to the limit,” he said.

Brown said he isn’t personally affected because he doesn’t live in Newport and his muffler shop is in adjoining Oldtown, Idaho, where “we already have socialized garbage pickup.

“Personally, I’m against socialism wherever it springs up,” Brown said. “I think people should have the choice of doing what they want and have to learn to get along with their neighbors.”

Some people never seem to learn, though, Hillestad said. He said some people’s idea of garbage collection is to let it collect in a pickup truck or a trailer.

“They haul their garbage out once every three or six months and it smells to the neighbors,” Hillestad said. “It attracts skunks and raccoons, and if there’re any dogs running loose, they’ll get in it - and the cats.”

Hillestad said he believes all five members of the City Council support the concept of mandatory garbage collection, although there are some differences about how to implement it.

“It’s being railroaded,” businessman Gary Burroughs said. “I object to it because I’ve got four buildings here in town and I don’t like having to pay four trash bills when I can stuff everything into one can.”

Landlord Dean Holder, who has eight rental units, said he objects to a provision that would make him responsible if his tenants fail to pay their garbage bills.

“My wife and I are already being held accountable for their water bills, which we also object to,” Holder said.

Another concern, he said, is that Mayor Kevin Murphy manages an auto parts store owned by the Priest River, Idaho, company that now collects garbage from some 450 willing customers in Newport - about 65 percent of all the households and businesses.

Murphy said City Attorney Mark Hanley assured him he has no conflict because state law gives him only veto power over the proposed ordinance.

“All I do is take to the council what they want,” he said. “I heard they wanted a garbage ordinance, so I brought them one.”

If he could vote and he didn’t work for the garbage company, Murphy said he probably would vote for the ordinance.

“I had to put a padlock on my (store) Dumpster,” Murphy said, “and it’s not because I don’t want people to steal my garbage. In the summer, if my Dumpster is left unlocked, it’s full every two or three days.”

Other merchants have the same complaint, he said. And it’s no fun trying to catch the culprits, who usually are too clever to leave clues.

“We’ve all gone through the garbage trying to catch them, but there’s never any ID mail in it,” Murphy said.

Most other comparably sized towns in northeast Washington - including Colville, Chewelah, Kettle Falls, Deer Park, Cheney and Medical Lake - have required “universal” garbage collection for more than a decade. Mandatory service came to Spokane in 1946.

Spokane Refuse Director Dennis Hein said weekly garbage removal improves public health. Most maggots take about nine days to become flies, he said.

“If you haul the trash once every seven days, you really do cut into the amount of fly production,” Hein said. “You actually haul away the maggots before they turn into flies.”

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Color photo

MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: MESSY DETAILS The drive for mandatory garbage collection will be aired publicly at 7 p.m. March 11 at Newport City Hall.