One city councilor is considering revisiting a vote on a heavy trash disposal program – an indication the program could be revived.

Council President Jim Violette said Monday he was going to ask the council to revisit the possibility of implementing the coupon program at the next regular City Council meeting, scheduled for May 2.

On April 4, councilors voted 4-0 to shoot down the plan that would have the city issue 1,600 coupons good for $12.50 in disposal costs at two area landfills. Councilors Gary Groves, John O’Hara, Suzanne Joyce and Violette cast the votes against the proposal. Councilors Brendan Rielly, Drew Gattine and Ann Peoples were not present at the meeting.

Violette said he voted against the proposal at the April 4 meeting so he would have the opportunity to ask the council to revisit the issue at the next meeting. He said city ordinances allow any councilor voting on the prevailing side of a motion to ask the council to revisit the motion at the next regular meeting.

At the April 4 meeting, the motion before the council was to authorize the administration to go forward with the program. Violette and the other three councilors voted against that motion. If he had voted to support the proposal and the motion had failed, Violette said he would not have the ability to ask for the issue to be reconsidered.

Violette said he wants to reconsider the issue because he wants to give residents the opportunity to dispose of heavy brush and leaves that currently would not be picked up by the city. He said that he has received calls from residents asking about heavy trash pickup.

In previous years, the city held an annual heavy trash pickup program, but the money for that program was removed from this year’s budget, eliminating the program. The administration came up with the coupon proposal in response to councilors who asked if there were any way for some form of the program to be revived this year.

The administration’s proposal would have seen the city issue 1,600 coupons good for $12.50 in disposal costs at two area landfills. Based on an average disposal fee of $25 for a pickup-truck load, the administration said the coupons would be good for half that average cost. Because the city has only $20,000 available for the program, the city would be able to distribute 1,600 coupons to residents on a first-come-first-served basis, and the coupons would be limited to one per household.

Violette said prior to the May 2 council meeting, he plans to speak to his fellow councilors to gauge their interest in reviving the program for this spring. If he feels there is not enough interest among the council, he said he would not ask for the reconsideration. “If I think I can get the support to get it to pass, then I’ll reconsider it,” Violette said. “If the support’s not there, why bring it up?”

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