Budget cuts leave leaf cleanup to homeowners

PORTLAND, Ore. - Just as the leaves are starting to fall there's some bad news for Portlanders who don't have city leaf sweeping in their neighborhoods.

Those who live in places where the city does not sweep up leaves will need to stock up on leaf bags. That's because the city has gotten rid of an inexpensive way for people to dump their own leaves without bagging them.   

When it comes to leaf collection, Kevin Healey is lucky he lives in Irvington: "I have friends who - when they're over here and see the leaves being picked-up in our neighborhood - say 'Whoa! I wish I lived over here, because we have a lot of leaves and we have no place to put them.'"

Jenny Kelley, who lives in Southwest Portland, is unlucky. The city doesn't sweep up leaves here for free. So Kelley said almost all of her leaves aren't even hers; they blow in from the city park.

"I don't know if it's fair if I have to pay for everybody else's use of the park," Kelley said. "That section of the leaves that I get to take care of ... I don't know if that's fair."

Even worse, neighborhoods without city leaf clean-up are losing city-run leaf depots. Those are the places where residents could at least dump their leaves for a small fee.

"It was very popular," said one source.

City officials said the leaf depots are a casualty of city budget cuts. Randy with Portland Parks & Recreation works at Gabriel Park, where a depot usually operates.

"We'll get 15 to 20 cars at times backed-up in the line - waiting their time to come in and dump," Randy said.

Meanwhile, the cost and inequity of leaf collection has raised talk about a citywide "leaf tax."

Current Portlander Carol Snead used to live in Alexandria, Va., where everyone there raked leaves onto the street.

"I never had to bag a thing," Snead said.

And the city didn't ask residents to pay more.

"We're already paying pretty high property taxes," Snead said, "and that should just be part of the deal."

When the city uniformly collects leaves it also means streets and storm drains don't become clogged with leaves.

"If the leaves clog the sewers, and the sewers create a water hazard, then that's where the city is ultimately responsible," said one source.

For those people who now must bag their leaves, the cost is $2.50 per bag left at the curb. Those bags will be picked up on yard debris days.

Check to see if your area gets leaf sweeping from the city of Portland.
 

How about you? Will you be affected by this change? How would you feel about a proposed city-wide leaf tax to absorb the cost for those like Healey? Take our poll, and leave your comments below.