As autumn approaches, it appears Lexington’s city council is about to pull the plug on the vacuum that collects leaves in neighborhoods. Discussion about the cost and timing of leaf collection has been debated for years. Council members Tuesday decided to consider other ways to address falling leaves without a vacuum truck. Council Member Amanda Mays Bledsoe said it’s a no-win situation.
“For everyone who loses a convenience which works for them, it’s going to be very frustrating, I completely sympathize with that. At the same time, we can’t continue to do something that’s not working for the greater good of the community. And it’s not working for them. It’s not a good investment of our taxpayer dollars,” said Mays Bledsoe.
Public Works Commissioner Nancy Albright has been instructed to check with the provider Republic Services about moving forward this fall without vacuuming.
“My thinking is we’re going to look at other avenues for how we could work together, even without vacuum leaf collection, to make leaf collection more effective this year,” said Albright.
Vice Mayor Steve Kay said that might involve more binning, bagging, and composting. Council Member Liz Sheehan said vacuuming leaf collection has been a valuable asset to her fifth district. She said if the service is discontinued, complaints are likely to follow.
One of the no votes came from Richard Moloney who said more time should be taken before making this type of change.
