When Michael Gosnell begins his patrols around Athens' neighborhoods at 8:30 a.m., he sees red plastic cups scattered across yards left over from the weekend revelry.
By afternoon, the fall breeze will have blown those cups into the surrounding neighborhood and streets, and it's Gosnell's job to make sure residents clean it up.
The actual objective of his position is to get the citations to zero
said Ray Hazlett, the city's service-safety director.
Gosnell, the city's first full-time solid waste control inspector, makes these trips during his Friday to Tuesday workweek. Tenants with large amounts of trash in their yard are given about an hour warning before receiving a citation that could result in a fine up to $100, he said.
I've found if you give somebody too much time they don't do it Gosnell said. More troublesome neighborhoods receive the majority of visits, Gosnell said, adding that Palmer and Mill streets are visited on all five days.
A typical day for Michael is going through the high density student neighborhoods said Paula Mosley, assistant service-safety director and Gosnell's direct manager.
Before Gosnell started working in April, sanitation department workers, Athens Police Department officers and code enforcement officers wrote 59 litter citations in September and 42 in October, according to the Athens City Code Enforcement Office.
He wrote 30 litter citations in September of this year and 58 in October, 48 of which were written by Gosnell and a code enforcement officer during Halloween weekend, according to Athens Code Enforcement.
Why the overall number of citations has dropped after hiring a full-time litter inspector is unclear, but it might have to do with residents being aware that he patrols the area, Gosnell said.
It's a good thing what he's doing
but he takes it too far sometimes
said senior sports management major Brad Kreimer of Palmer Street, who received a litter citation at about 6 a.m. on Sept. 1.
Some students strongly disagreed with the strict enforcement.
People are throwing trash in our yard
how's that our fault? said Ashley Jadach, a junior communications major of Stewart Street.
Gosnell's $29,500 salary and work expenses are funded by a $1 per month fee charged to each of the city's 5,900 utility billing addresses, Mosley said. Through September, $53,588 was collected for 2007 by the city from the monthly charge.
Money generated from citations goes into a general trash fund for the city-contracted Athens-Hocking Recycling Center, Mosley said.
Fines begin at $20 for first offense and increase by $20 for each additional offense before capping at $100. The fine amount is reset to $20 about every three months and is added to the addresses' utility bills if the fines are not paid, Gosnell said.
When multiple apartments occupy one address, each apartment is fined $20 if it is unclear who is responsible, Gosnell said.
By the time I'm giving someone a citation
they've had warnings in the past
he said.
Gosnell is also leading Athens' first household hazardous waste collection day at the city community center on Nov. 10, which will accept items such as computer monitors, bleach and cyanide, according to the flyer. Proof of city residence is required.
Nobody wants to see a town that looks like crap
he said.
17
