Rochester Today – Garbage Collection Debate Will be Lengthy

The Rochester City Council's recent decision to explore the possibility of selecting a single waste hauler to pick up garbage throughout the city or dividing the city into districts for garbage collection has generated a great deal of interest, but it will take a considerable amount of time to study and consider whether it should be pursued.

The issue was among those discussed by City Attorney Terry Adkins during his monthly appearance on the Rochester Today show with Tracy McCray and Andy Brownell on KROC-AM Wednesday morning. Adkins says a state law gives the city the authority to set up a system that would limit the number of waste haulers using the city streets to cut down on wear and tear, but he cautions that requires a lengthy process.

Wednesday's show also covered the State Legislature's lack of action on the body camera issue. The Rochester City Council has been delaying action on a pilot program proposed by Police Chief Roger Peterson because it was expected state lawmakers would approve legislation that would provide local governments with some guidance on the storage and the public's access to the incredible amounts of video that would be recorded if police officers are equipped with the body cameras. While the legislature did address questions concerning the use and storage of data generated by license plate readers being used by law enforcement, Adkins says it was decided the body camera issue requires more study.