Lindenhurst village tables vote on yard bill

Facing fierce opposition from landscapers and residents, Lindenhurst village officials have put off a vote on a proposed law that would require those hired for yard work haul away clippings rather than leave the bags at the curb.

Residents and business owners spoke out Tuesday night at a public hearing on the proposal, which would require landscapers working in the village to dispose of grass clippings, branches or other material and take the bags to a disposal facility outside the village.

"It's a knucklehead idea," resident Pattey Lamprecht told the board. "You will never be able to enforce it."

Under current law, village crews collect clippings on Wednesday, but the bags are not supposed to be on the curb before 7 p.m. Tuesday. A violation of this code could result in a fine of between $50 to $1,000 or a jail term not exceeding 15 days. Mayor Thomas Brennan said the village first issues a warning; he did not know of any residents who had been fined for the infraction.

Landscapers at the hearing spoke of having to take clippings to distant disposal sites or holding on to clippings for nearly a week before leaving them on the curb in order to abide by the current law. But village officials said some landscapers leave the bags out as early as Wednesday night and by pickup time a week later, the bags are ripped and unsightly.

"We don't want to penalize landscapers," Brennan said. "What we want to do is make the village clean."

Tom Clark, who said he is a disabled veteran unable to care for his lawn, questioned why the village would pick up bags left by him and not those left by his landscaper. "I'm paying taxes for this service," he said to the board. "If you take away this service, the landscaper is of course going to charge me more money."

Residents said they are already contending with a village garbage fee increase, which will go from $197 to $202 for a one-family home this year.

Christine Reyes, who owns three landscaping companies in the village, said she has not raised her $20 fee for 28 years, but the proposed new policy would force her to increase her prices and lose customers. "You do this to me, you put me out of business," she said to officials.

The board tabled a vote on the proposed law, and Brennan said officials will re-evaluate what they want to do. He said he is asking landscapers for proposals. One idea offered by some: changing the date of pickups to Friday or Monday, closer to when most people have had yard work done. Brennan said the village would consider the suggestion.