Canton Rejects Plan To Use Garbage Fees To Clean Up Blighted Properties

A move to use revenue from garbage disposal fees to help clean up run-down homes failed during the Canton City Council’s meeting on Thursday.

The council voted 2-3, with Council members John Rust and Hooky Huffman voting in favor, to hold the garbage fees at $16.50 and use $2 collected from each customer’s account towards efforts to tackle the city’s run-down properties. Council members Jack Goodwin and Sandy McGrew were joined by Mayor Gene Hobgood in their opposition.

Council member Bill Grant was not present.

The initiative considered on Thursday was put into motion by Ward II Council member Hooky Huffman, who on Friday said the $2 difference was calculated as excess because it ”doesn’t cost” the city $16.50 to administer garbage disposal billing.

The total revenue collected would have been placed into an escrow account, which Huffman said would have been used to address the problem of “subpar housing” in the city.

“It’s absolutely disgraceful that our city has allowed this to go on for so long,” he said during Thursday’s meeting.

Huffman went on to say that this proposal would protect underprivileged residents who “live in these dumpy places.” Along with an increase in property values, Huffman said the effort would eventually attract more companies and people to the city of Canton.

Hobgood, who during the Oct. 2 council meeting initially proposed lowering the fee to $14.50, noted he’s not opposed to addressing blight in the city. The mayor said he has a problem with tackling the problem “on the backs” of garbage customers.

The idea also garnered pushback from Goodwin and McGrew. Goodwin noted he believes that while Canton has a “few bad spots,” it’s not nearly as bad as other cities. He said he believed getting government involved was the wrong approach. Instead, the city should focus on a grassroots effort to “get people enthused about cleaning up their houses.”

McGrew said ridding the city of blight was a priority, but she said she had concerns about how the money would be spent.

“To me, this smells like (the) stormwater (fund),” she said, referring to the city’s practice of using that fund to pay for non-stormwater related projects.

She noted there’s no clear idea on who would receive the money. Additionally, council members haven’t even seen a list of properties that would be targeted under the proposal.

Huffman defended his proposal, adding he’s even met with Cherokee County Commission Chair Buzz Ahrens and County Manager Jerry Cooper to discuss the initiative. Ahrens told Huffman that the city would need money to get the ball rolling, the council member stated.

Once the proposal failed, Huffman took a shot at Hobgood, challenging the mayor to come up with a propoal.

“I can’t believe that the mayor would oppose cleaning up this city,” he said, also making the statement to the council as a whole.

The mayor told Huffman he didn’t oppose cleaning up blight, but that he didn’t think the city should use excess fees from its waste removal services to fund the plan.

In an effort to remain conciliatory, McGrew added she was willing to work with Huffman in fine tuning his plan. Huffman, however, did not take McGrew up on the offer.

“I’ve got mine,” he said of his plan. “You work by yourself.”

Huffman’s response to McGrew drew an audible denunciation by the audience.

Huffman on Friday said he will continue to conjure up ways to address run-down properties. He noted those living in these homes need as much “care and protection” that the city can provide them. The problem, he added, will only get worse if the city continues to kick the can down the road.

(Photo credit: Patch file)