Board would oversee Solid Waste
Council advances new panel for audit, more transparency
DAVE GONG | The Journal Gazette
The first order of business for Fort Wayne s new Solid Waste Advisory Board will be an audit of the Solid Waste Department s finances.
Creation of the board, proposed by Mayor Tom Henry s administration and brought to City Council by Councilwoman Sharon Tucker, D-6th, was approved Tuesday in a 7-1 preliminary vote. One council member, Councilman Tom Freistroffer, R-at large, was absent.
The Solid Waste Advisory Board would replace an existing working group composed of several neighborhood leaders and City Councilmen Jason Arp, R-4th, and Tom Didier, R-3rd, Solid Waste manager Matt Gratz said. The group, which was formed to address complaints over residential collection service provided by Red River Waste Solutions, met several times in 2018 and 2019 but only once in 2020, Gratz said.
Wednesday, February 03, 2021 11:36 am
No General Assembly action on local food and beverage taxes this session
Fort Wayne, Allen County councils were to consider resolution in opposition
Dave Gong and Niki Kelly | The Journal Gazette
The Indiana General Assembly will not hear any bills seeking to increase local food and beverage taxes this legislative session.
Sen. Travis Holdman, chairman of the state senate s Tax and Fiscal Policy Committee, said in a news release today that he and his fellow Republican committee members agree that now is not an appropriate time to consider these tax increases as the economy continues to recover from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Political notebook
NIKI KELLY | The Journal Gazette
The Indiana Republican Party recently announced the members of its inaugural class of its Diversity Leadership Series – and it includes some northeast Indiana representation.
The series is a seminar and leadership training program that will provide the preparation and resources needed to increase the engagement of minority Republican leaders in Indiana.
“I m thrilled to welcome this impressive group of Hoosiers to our inaugural class,” said Kyle Hupfer, chairman of the Indiana Republican Party. “With their depth and breadth of experience, I know they will dive right into the program, as they re guided to exciting opportunities to make a difference. I ve repeatedly said as a party we re committed to building long-term, authentic relationships with historically underrepresented communities – and I can t wait to see the deep relationships formed through this program and beyond.”
Credit Red River Waste Solutions
In Fort Wayne City Council’s final meeting of 2020, some members of the body are bringing the city’s waste management back into the spotlight.
2nd District Republican Russ Jehl introduced a resolution critical of the city s the Solid Waste Department, and calling on Mayor Tom Henry to intervene. The impetus for Jehl’s concern is that the department has been losing money, and hasn’t been proactive enough in oversight of Red River Waste Solutions with regard to levying fines for missed pickups.
Red River began garbage collection service at the beginning of 2018. The first six months of service led to roughly 3,000 complaints of missed pickups per month, leading to $462,000 in fines against the company.