狐狸视频

ST. LOUIS 鈥� The city鈥檚 customer service department records trash complaints made by residents, but how long it takes to get a response varies by neighborhood.

For residents in some north 狐狸视频 neighborhoods, wait times to get an issue resolved through the Citizens鈥� Service Bureau can be three times longer than in some areas of south city. That prolonged time has brought with it fading confidence in City Hall鈥檚 ability to provide basic services.

鈥淚t sucks, and people get tired of calling and calling and not getting results,鈥� said 3rd Ward Alderman Brandon Bosley, who represents Hyde Park and Fairground, two of the neighborhoods that get the slowest response. 鈥淚t鈥檚 like nothing is getting done.鈥�

The Post-Dispatch, as part of a continuing series of reports on the city鈥檚 mounting trash problems, reviewed almost nine years of complaint data, showing the disparities in response times by neighborhood. People who reside in the Wells-Goodfellow neighborhood, along with those in Walnut Park East and Kingsway West, can wait three weeks or more to see a complaint resolved, compared with those living in Tower Grove South, Compton Heights and the Central West End, who may wait less than a week. The 10 neighborhoods with the longest wait time are all north of Delmar Boulevard.

鈥淚 think it鈥檚 certainly fair to say some wards get more attention than others,鈥� said 22nd Ward Alderman Jeffrey Boyd, who represents the Wells-Goodfellow and Hamilton Heights neighborhoods. 鈥淚 would hate to think (longer response times) in north city are intentional.鈥�

The disparity in times rests with the Citizens鈥� Service Bureau itself. Once the complaints have been forwarded to the appropriate department, city data show that resident issues are addressed at about the same rate citywide.

The results of the data review did not sit well with Todd Waelterman, city director of operations.

鈥淚f I find out there鈥檚 some freaking chalky white guy that鈥檚 been putting all the black complaints in a basket somewhere, I want to handle it,鈥� Waelterman said. 鈥淏ut I can guarantee that ain鈥檛 what鈥檚 happening. We don鈥檛 do that. There鈥檚 no advantage to that.鈥�

There also is no clear definition of what is considered a closed case. For example, an employee with the Citizens鈥� Service Bureau may mark the complaint as 鈥渃losed鈥� when it has simply been passed along to the appropriate department, which may or may not have addressed the issue. The problem, aldermen throughout the city say, is there is no uniform policy among city departments on how complaints are handled.

That leads to frustration, said 15th Ward Alderman Megan Green, whose part of town includes Tower Grove South. When residents do not see resolution and have trouble finding out if the issue is being addressed, 鈥渋t creates distrust in the system and they don鈥檛 use CSB (the Citizens鈥� Service Bureau) anymore because they see it as a waste of time,鈥� she said.

鈥極ld school鈥� way

When 狐狸视频 residents struggle to get a response or wait too long for a solution from the Citizens鈥� Service Bureau, their next step is often to call their alderman.

鈥淭he rule of thumb I give to constituents is to submit the complaint to the Citizens鈥� Service Bureau and if you don鈥檛 get resolution in three days, contact me and I鈥檒l contact the city department directly,鈥� Green said. 鈥淏ut that is a very inefficient way to deal with these issues.鈥�

Sarah Martin, 11th Ward alderman, agrees. Intervention by aldermen can bring politics into basic city services and take elected leaders away from their jobs as legislators, she said.

鈥淪ome of the aldermen like this setup because it gives them power,鈥� said Martin, who represents Holly Hills and Boulevard Heights. 鈥淚f (residents) think they can call you for trash and day-to-day problems, they鈥檙e going to re-elect you. It鈥檚 an old school way. But with technology, we shouldn鈥檛 have to operate that way anymore.鈥�

But sometimes intervention is necessary. Martin said one of her ward residents had a tree trimming complaint closed out by the Citizens鈥� Service Bureau, but with no resolution since 2013. Recently, Martin contacted Mayor Lyda Krewson鈥檚 office.

Tipping point: 狐狸视频 residents, fed up with city's dumping problem, want action

Too few trucks. Not enough refuse workers. Widespread illegal dumping. Overflowing dumpsters. 'It's unbearable,' says a longtime resident.

The problem was resolved.

Limbs, high weeds and debris on vacant lots make up the highest number of complaints made to the Citizens鈥� Service Bureau and are handled by the city鈥檚 forestry division. Trash service issues are second, followed by requests to board up vacant buildings, Waelterman said.

Caught on camera: Look who the city nailed when it went after illegal dumpers

The mayor says cleaning up a city long viewed as a dumping ground will take a 'sustained effort.'

After Krewson took office, she said an emphasis would be placed on looking at equity in services throughout the city. Through that process, City Hall is working to pinpoint inefficiencies that could be leading to some neighborhood鈥� getting better results from their complaints than others.

鈥淲e are moving toward using data for strategy,鈥� said Cristina Garmendia, the city鈥檚 equity indicators project manager. Part of that challenge is creating a complaint reporting system that is easier to understand, both for residents and city employees.

At recent hearings at City Hall, aldermen sought answers as to why complaints made to the bureau are often marked 鈥渃losed鈥� without any tangible resolution.

鈥�(That) doesn鈥檛 do anybody any good. There鈥檚 just not information coming back to the constituents when they鈥檙e reporting it,鈥� said 8th Ward Alderman Annie Rice, who represents Shaw and Tower Grove East.

鈥楥losed鈥� doesn鈥檛 mean 鈥榝ixed鈥�

Alderman Dan Guenther, who represents the 9th Ward, says there remained a culture of the left hand not knowing what the right hand is doing.

鈥淭here is still kind of a larger problem of departments not being connected to each other and not having a protocol on how to close a case,鈥� said Guenther, whose ward covers all or parts of seven south city neighborhoods, including Benton Park and McKinley Heights.

Dotti McDowell, who oversees the Citizens鈥� Service Bureau and the city鈥檚 neighborhood stabilization team, said 鈥渃losed鈥� did not always mean 鈥渇ixed.鈥� Depending on what department is handling it, it can mean the work is ongoing, she said.

鈥淭hat, as I know all too well, is very frustrating for citizens because when they see the term 鈥榗losed鈥� they expect the issue is resolved. And in some cases, it has not been,鈥� McDowell said.

When complaints come in to the bureau 鈥� whether it be online, on the phone or in person 鈥� a customer service representative decides what problem code to assign based on the issue at hand, McDowell said. Each complaint is also assigned a unique number, so the request can be tracked.

The request is then submitted to the appropriate department, where an employee is dispatched to investigate the complaint and ultimately resolve it. During that process, it is up to that employee to provide updates aimed at keeping residents in the loop. But that does not always happen, city leaders told the Post-Dispatch.

For example, if the employee is waiting on equipment that has been ordered, or there is a shortage of tree trimmers 鈥� which is often the case 鈥� residents are not usually getting those updates.

鈥淲hen our residents make a CSB request, they鈥檙e entitled to some real follow-up action,鈥� Boyd said. 鈥淲hat happened? We need something to say, 鈥楧ebris was moved on this date. Cameras were placed in this area.鈥欌��

McDowell said she hoped city departments would work with the city鈥檚 information technology technicians so more status updates were typed into the system and done so using uniform codes.

鈥淚t鈥檚 really up to the programmers,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e have the discretion to program what departments need.鈥�

Streets Director Jamie Wilson, who oversees the refuse division, said there was already a system in place for providing more detail as to how specific complaints were addressed. City employees who close out requests have to assign a 鈥減ublic resolution鈥� to that complaint. The resolution may be in shorthand 鈥� something such as 鈥渨ork completed鈥� 鈥� but there鈥檚 a longer explanation in sentence format Wilson believes the public should be seeing.

Wilson said he was open to the idea of exploring more descriptive status updates.

One reason the wait times for a response may vary is because each city department has to 鈥渢riage鈥� complaints that come in, Wilson said.

鈥淲hat鈥檚 the severity of the complaint here? Are we talking about an overflowing dumpster? Are we talking about, somebody has a mattress in the alley?鈥� Wilson said. 鈥�(The foremen) are the filter, with limited resources, to choose where we send folks.鈥�

That does not mean less urgent complaints are ignored, Wilson said. However, department managers determine what should be tackled each day based on the impact of the problem, Waelterman said. For example, downed tree limbs blocking a street would move to the top of that day鈥檚 list, he said, while a pothole would have to wait.

Right now, some residents can get more information about the status of their complaints only by continually calling the bureau. That can mean spending a long time on hold for the caller, and adding to a growing workload for the operator.

鈥淚t鈥檚 increasingly frustrating to tell constituents to use this service and then it doesn鈥檛 work,鈥� said Alderman Jack Coatar, who represents the 7th Ward, which includes downtown. 鈥淚f they鈥檙e doing their part as a citizen, and going online and putting in a service request, they shouldn鈥檛 have to then pick up the phone and call to find out information about what鈥檚 the status of that request.鈥�

Bill Shelton, a longtime Soulard resident, said he felt his calls to the Citizens鈥� Service Bureau went nowhere. He has complained about downed trees and trash service. When his complaints seem to stall at the bureau, he calls police.

That鈥檚 exactly what city leaders don鈥檛 want residents such as Shelton to do. But those same officials acknowledge that the agency designed to be the centralized customer service department needs to be improved. They promise it will be.

”Tipping Point” is a series of special reports that examine critical challenges facing 狐狸视频 neighborhoods. Missed last week’s stories on the city’s trash problems? Read them here and here at

Photos: Dumping on 狐狸视频, in 狐狸视频

Illegal dumping in 狐狸视频, on 狐狸视频

Illegal dumping in 狐狸视频, on 狐狸视频

Illegal dumping in 狐狸视频, on 狐狸视频

Illegal dumping in 狐狸视频, on 狐狸视频

Illegal dumping in 狐狸视频, on 狐狸视频

Meeting on trash, fireworks, brings out city residents

Repairs keep many aging trash trucks off the streets

Repairs keep many aging trash trucks off the streets

Clean Sweep tackles Jeff Vanderlou, five vacant houses demolished

Clean Sweep tackles Jeff Vanderlou, five vacant houses demolished

Illegal dumping in 狐狸视频, on 狐狸视频

Illegal dumping in 狐狸视频, on 狐狸视频

Alderman calls for more O'Fallon Park rangers, park cleanup

Trash Task Force officers take on dumpers with fines and community service

Illegal dumping in 狐狸视频, on 狐狸视频

Illegal dumping in 狐狸视频, on 狐狸视频

ST. LOUIS 鈥⑻齌he cameras are perched on light poles throughout the city, trained on alleys that cut through stretches of town long forgotten and filled with piles of trash.

In the Baden neighborhood, on the city鈥檚 northern border, three of the 100 cameras are mounted in a one-block area just off North Broadway, a dumping ground so popular that a few days after city workers pick up truckloads of garbage, tires, drywall, mattresses and tree limbs, the area looks as if the crews were never there.

The eyes in the sky are part of a full-throttle effort by the city to clean up a mess that has been decades in the making. A trash fee increase approved by the Board of Aldermen last year paid for the cameras and also is funding new trash trucks and overtime for police officers to go after the culprits causing the messes.

The cameras serve as 24-hour watchdogs, locked on problem areas and snapping images with every movement. The photos are downloaded weekly by police.

The cameras have led to 18 guilty pleas this year, including two by Ray Huffman, a contractor from Bonne Terre, Mo., a town about an hour south of 狐狸视频.

All but three of those who admitted to wrongdoing live outside the city of 狐狸视频.

鈥淲hen you鈥檝e got people from other jurisdictions coming here doing this, we鈥檙e sick of that,鈥� said Matt Moak, a city attorney working on the initiative to stop illegal dumping.

On March 15, just before 7 a.m., Huffman stopped his pickup in an alley near Concord Place in the Baden neighborhood, pulled two stuffed garbage bags from the bed of his truck and tossed them into a dumpster reserved for residential trash.

Four days later, Huffman showed up in the alley again. This time, he was in a pickup with the logo, website and phone number of a south 狐狸视频 contracting company, situated more than eight miles from where he was dumping the trash. In the earlier visit, Huffman was wearing a jacket with the company鈥檚 name on it.

Tipping point: 狐狸视频 residents, fed up with city's dumping problem, want action

Too few trucks. Not enough refuse workers. Widespread illegal dumping. Overflowing dumpsters. 'It's unbearable,' says a longtime resident.

Three days before Huffman was first caught in the alley, a camera snapped several images of a black Infiniti SUV pulling a trailer stacked with drywall and other materials from a demolition project. Two men got out and put the debris into a dumpster reserved for residential trash.

In May, the driver of the SUV, Tyrone Black, of Florissant, pleaded guilty to dumping debris, which comes with a $500 fine and 40 hours of community service. A month later, Huffman also admitted guilt and had to pay the same fine for a charge of 鈥減rohibited refuse.鈥� A third man, David Hawkins, of 狐狸视频 County, was caught in the same block.

Two Fridays ago, Mayor Lyda Krewson sat in the conference room just outside her office, looking at the photos captured by the new cameras. On her laptop, she zoomed in on one of the images, noting the pile of tires, mattresses and an abandoned car on a private lot and the litter dotting the alley.

鈥淭rash begets trash,鈥� she said. If it looks like a spot that no one cares about, it鈥檚 ripe for dumping, the mayor said. City leaders have to make 狐狸视频 a less attractive place to discard unwanted items, Krewson said, and the cameras so far are showing that most of those doing the dumping are not from here.

鈥淚t does irk me, but I鈥檇 be equally irked if a city resident was doing it,鈥� Krewson said. Those living here should be helping curb the problem, not exacerbate it, she said. City residents can take a load of unwanted items once a month to one of two 狐狸视频 dump sites for free. The city also offers free bulk item pickup once a month.

鈥淭he dumping fee costs the city about $35. To dispatch a loader, workers and truck to clean up the illegal dumping, it could be as high as $1,000, depending on the situation,鈥� said Todd Waelterman, the city鈥檚 director of operations.

In fiscal year 2017, residents dropped off 9,000 tons of refuse at the two city dumps. By comparison, city departments led by the forestry division picked up 22,000 tons of illegally dumped items. That does not include the 52,000 tires that have to be disposed of separately.

鈥楴ot nearly enough鈥�

Among those the city鈥檚 cameras have nabbed is Mardell Woods, a city resident. On June 7, he pulled into an alley behind Martin Luther King Drive, in the city鈥檚 Wells-Goodfellow neighborhood. His GMC pickup was filled with mattresses and old furniture. In a few minutes, he filled a city yard waste dumpster with the items. About five blocks west, and a few months earlier, Willie Chapman Jr., of 狐狸视频 County, stopped his white GMC pickup on a warm April afternoon and tossed a mattress and box springs near a pile of tires.

While the city鈥檚 north side, where vacant buildings and lots are prevalent, is a frequent target, the opposite side of town also is fighting illegal dumping, with cameras in the Gravois Park, Dutchtown and Bevo Mill neighborhoods nabbing culprits.

鈥淭his is a step in the right direction, but not nearly enough,鈥� said Alderman Cara Spencer, who represents the south city neighborhoods of Gravois Park and Dutchtown. For a city divided into 28 wards, that means roughly 3陆 cameras per area, she said.

鈥淚 could use 50 of them, and I鈥檓 not even exaggerating,鈥� Spencer said.

The city鈥檚 10-member trash task force is led by police Sgt. Joseph Calabro. He said those who illegally dump are typically contractors working in the city, who see driving down an alley as a cost-effective way to get rid of materials compared with renting a roll-out cart and paying the dumping fees at a landfill.

鈥淭hey see it as just easier, cheaper and think: 鈥楴o one is going to see me.鈥� That鈥檚 not necessarily true,鈥� Calabro said.

The city doesn鈥檛 deal with commercial waste; instead, it provides businesses with a list of private haulers. The cost of an eight-yard container with weekly pickup can range from $80 to $127 per month.

Calabro said the city could put up other barriers to curtail illegal dumping. For example, those seeking a demolition permit would have to show proof that they rented a roll-out dumpster, then show proof that they paid to properly dump the materials before an occupancy permit would be issued.

鈥淚 think we have to hold their feet to the fire on that,鈥� Calabro said.

Witnesses

Through Aug. 8, the trash task force has issued 121 summonses for dumping and issued 97 warning letters this year.

The city鈥檚 cameras are a key component, but witnesses also are important, Calabro said. Anyone who provides information to police that leads to a conviction will get a $100 reward. Eight people have been declared eligible for the money, he said.

But getting people to talk can be a challenge, Officer Sisavath Singharath said.

鈥淭hey are scared. They say: 鈥極nce you leave, I still have to live here,鈥欌�� Singharath said as he stood near a camera in the Baden neighborhood and downloaded images onto his tablet.

Residents are glad police are around, he said.

鈥淲hen I first started this, no one waved to me. Now, everybody waves. And they will talk, but they say: 鈥楴ot here in the front, meet me out back,鈥欌�� Singharath said.

Derke Quarles, a Baden resident, took matters into his own hands, fed up with what he said was inaction by the city long before new cameras and a trash task force came around.

He spray-painted a large wooden sign and propped it up under a rusted basketball goal in the alley behind his house on Frederick Street.

鈥淪top!!! Dumping Your Stuff. This is Not the City Dump. We Have You On Camera and Your Plates. Look Behind You.鈥�

Quarles, 50, has cameras mounted on his house and plans to add some to the alley.

鈥淚 call the city, I call the police. They say to get the (license) plate number,鈥� Quarles said. But the people who dump know better than to take to the alley with plates on their vehicles, he said. Quarles said that in the more than 20 years he has lived on Frederick, crime has gone up, illegal dumping has persisted and neighbors keep leaving.

鈥淓verybody moved out, but I鈥檓 still here,鈥� he said. And he isn鈥檛 going anywhere. 鈥淚鈥檓 just going to ride it out. I鈥檝e been here this long.鈥�

Not just fines

Quarles is holding out for a neighborhood turnaround, but he has little faith the current illegal dumping initiative by the city will bring long-lasting change. Similar efforts have come and gone. Priorities shift. City leaders change.

For those living north of Delmar Boulevard, trash complaints addressed at a slower rate

For residents in some north 狐狸视频 neighborhoods, wait times to get an issue resolved through the Citizens鈥� Service Bureau can be three tim…

Krewson, who became mayor in April 2017, said cleaning up a city long viewed as a dumping ground would take a 鈥渟ustained effort.鈥�

鈥淐ities in general are not good at long-term planning,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e living budget year to budget year, administration to administration. We didn鈥檛 get here overnight, and it鈥檚 not going to change overnight. But over time, it will if we stick with it, if we have pride in where we live and if we engage everybody in this.鈥�

Those caught illegally dumping are issued a summons to appear in municipal court alongside others charged with misdemeanor offenses, such as driving without insurance or riding the MetroLink without a ticket.

Last month, Chau Hien and his wife, Thanh Huynh, were there with an interpreter, who explained to the Fenton couple that they could plead guilty to illegal dumping or ask for a trial. A city attorney told the couple they were seen by a member of the trash task force loading carpet into a city dumpster from a home they were renovating in Dutchtown.

The couple agreed to pay $500 each, as well as do 40 hours of community service apiece. For illegal dumping cases, that is cleaning trash out of alleys.

On July 25, six days after she agreed to plead guilty, Huynh was in an alley in the 3400 block of California Avenue with a trash bag in hand.

Officer Dave Krapf, a member of the trash task force, stood at the front of his patrol car, parked at one end of the alley with lights flashing. Officers take recommendations from aldermen or neighborhood stabilization officers as to where community service work would be valuable, then watch over those doing the litter pickup and report back to the court the hours completed.

Krewson supports dedicating police officers to the task force.

鈥淚t鈥檚 easy to say, 鈥榃ell, we鈥檙e short on police officers. Why are you worrying about trash?鈥欌�� Because it is something residents have said they want, she said. And the most common complaints to the Citizens鈥� Service Bureau involve trash issues.

鈥淎s mayor, or the police department, you鈥檝e got to be able to multitask. You鈥檝e got to try to make progress on a number of fronts,鈥� Krewson said.

The mayor, however, was surprised to learn from the Post-Dispatch that police officers were monitoring those fulfilling their community service.

鈥淚t doesn鈥檛 have to be a police officer,鈥� she said. Krewson said she would talk with Public Safety Director Jimmie Edwards, who oversees the police department, to come up with another option.

The bottom line is that people want a cleaner city, and that is what they are going to get, Krewson said.

鈥淲e are going to do a better job,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e are doing a better job.鈥�

Janelle O鈥橠ea of the Post-Dispatch contributed to this report.

Previously, about illegal dumping:

鈥⑻�狐狸视频 residents, fed up with city's dumping problem, want action

Also in the series:

鈥⑻�狐狸视频 struggles to keep up with rising tide of broken, abandoned buildings

鈥⑻�LRA owns the 12,000 狐狸视频 properties no one wants. And it can't afford to maintain them.

Read the questions reporters answered about garbage and illegal dumping in the city:听.

Photos: Police trash task force takes on problem dumpers

Community service picking up trash targets illegal dumpers

Trash Task Force officers take on dumpers with fines and community service

Trash Task Force officers take on dumpers with fines and community service

Trash Task Force officers take on dumpers with fines and community service

Trash Task Force officers take on dumpers with fines and community service

Illegal dumping in 狐狸视频, on 狐狸视频

Trash Task Force officers take on dumpers with fines and community service

Community service picking up trash targets illegal dumpers

ST. LOUIS听 鈥⑻齌he stench hits you before you see anything: the sharp sourness of rotting food, the musk of discarded cardboard and drywall left out after a rain. Round the corner into the alley behind James and Arlene Price鈥檚 home in the Greater Ville neighborhood, and you鈥檒l find piles of garbage and construction materials stacked and scattered next to the dumpsters.

鈥淚t鈥檚 unbearable. ... It鈥檚 open season for dumping,鈥� said James Price, 85. He used to be the block captain. Now, there鈥檚 too little interest or too few permanent property owners to warrant a block unit.

But multiple neighbors still point to James Price as the man to talk to about the trash problem. Despite his age and his walker, he remains their advocate in a less official capacity, doing whatever he can to instigate cleanup efforts, hound city officials and get his neighbors to care about the garbage left to fester behind their homes. Old habits die hard.

Over the 50 years the Prices have lived in their house on North Taylor Avenue, they watched the city鈥檚 trash problem grow worse. Time and again, they saw garbage pile up in their north 狐狸视频 neighborhood. Trash pickup, especially bulk pickup, can be hit or miss, the Prices said. The couple feel like they鈥檙e calling the city constantly, and when they do, they鈥檙e often passed around to different people or agencies.

鈥淥ne (department) shifts me to the other,鈥� James Price said.

Arlene Price, 83, sucks in oxygen from her tank and pulls out her family鈥檚 trash bill. The city began charging $11 a month for garbage pickup in 2010 after facing a $46 million budget shortfall. While the fee increased to $14 in 2017, the service hasn鈥檛 improved, she said.

One of the Prices鈥� neighbors, Don Davis, said the trash piles in the alley behind his house have at times risen higher than the dumpsters, making it difficult to navigate through even on his motorcycle.

鈥淵ou know what that brings? Rats. We have a big rat problem. And come the end of this summer, they鈥檙e going to find their way into the house,鈥� he said.

The city empties the dumpsters somewhat consistently, he said, but illegally dumped waste concentrates behind a vacant, city-owned building, often blocking passage through the alley. A nearby house is under renovation, and the materials from that process tend to wind up stacked behind Davis鈥� well-kept home. His children aren鈥檛 allowed to play outside of his small, fenced yard, for fear of stepping on nails or broken glass, or getting too close to the inevitable, unsanitary trash pile behind their house.

More often than not, Davis has to clean the alley just to be able to leave his home.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 have a choice. It does get frustrating. But there isn鈥檛 very much you can do about it,鈥� he said.

Addressing the problem

A move toward more dependable trash service is part of a new 鈥淐lean Up 狐狸视频鈥� campaign from Mayor Lyda Krewson鈥檚 administration, which includes the deployment of 100 new surveillance cameras throughout the city to catch illegal dumping in lots and alleys.

But 狐狸视频鈥� biggest hindrance to timely trash collection has been a lack of operable trucks. On any given day, nearly half of this city鈥檚 fleet of 84 garbage trucks are out of service. On some days, that number is even higher.

With 55 trash routes to run a day, the city struggles to pick up the waste residents are legally discarding, much less the refuse from outside actors who come to the city specifically to dump their waste.

鈥淚f we鈥檙e in the hole every day, in the red as far as what you can cover with your manpower to those routes because of some of our truck situations, you鈥檙e always inevitably, mathematically, going to have an issue covering those,鈥� said Streets Director Jamie Wilson, who oversees the refuse division and has been called on at recent town halls and committee hearings organized by city aldermen to investigate the issue. 鈥淚t ends up being, 鈥業 can pick this up, but that means I miss that.鈥欌��

With nearly half its garbage trucks breaking down, 狐狸视频 struggles to collect trash

Basic math points to the problem. The city has 55 trash routes a day, but is running 40 to 45 trucks daily.

City residents are invited to call the Citizens鈥� Service Bureau to report those problems, but that doesn鈥檛 always yield results. Some call their alderman, hoping that will spur action. A new 鈥渢rash task force鈥� in the police department, led by Sgt. Joseph Calabro, also welcomes direct calls. There鈥檚 a $100 reward for reporting a dumper if the complaint leads to an arrest.

Illegal dumping has been an acute problem in 狐狸视频 for decades, and Krewson isn鈥檛 the first mayor to attempt a fix.

In February 2003, former Mayor Francis Slay announced his own 鈥淐lean Up 狐狸视频鈥� initiative. He tasked several full-time police officers with going after those who dump trash illegally, joining seven officers who did the work part time, for a task force similar to the one Calabro oversees. With some funding from the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, he also installed surveillance cameras to catch illegal dumpers .

Flash back to a chilly March morning in 1996 when Slay鈥檚 predecessor, Mayor Freeman Bosley Jr., was handing out fliers announcing a $100 reward for residents who report anyone dumping garbage.

鈥淲e鈥檙e going to bust you and punish you. We鈥檙e not going to stand for it anymore,鈥� Bosley told the Post-Dispatch at the time.

His campaign to crack down on the city鈥檚 trash problem included organized cleanups of known dump sites and four designated police officers to spearhead the effort.

Sound familiar?

While the initiatives by all three mayors have caught some dumpers in the act 鈥� Calabro鈥檚 task force and footage from the new surveillance cameras have led to 18 guilty pleas and more than 120 summonses for dumping so far this year 鈥� the city has failed to invest in even basic maintenance required for reliable trash service.

Last year, the Board of Aldermen voted to raise the fees residents pay for garbage collection by $3 a month to buy cameras and trash trucks. But some aldermen balked, questioning how the money collected from the existing fee had been spent.

The revenue had flowed into the city鈥檚 general revenue fund, where it could be spent on a myriad of other priorities, forcing city officials to acknowledge that they鈥檇 dropped the ball by not paying to replace or maintain garbage trucks.

At the time, 1st Ward Alderman Sharon Tyus, who voted against the increase, compared the worsening situation to parents taking their children to Disneyland but failing to buy them food.

鈥淚t was not placed into a special fund or enterprise account to pay for trash services including the cost to replace the rolling stock,鈥� Tyus said. 鈥淲hy isn鈥檛 and hasn鈥檛 the entire $14 payment been put into an account for trash? Then we could buy so many more trucks and hire additional staff.鈥�

Recently, money just from the increased fees has allowed the city to purchase 16 new trucks, with 15 more coming by the end of the year, all part of a plan to reduce the average age of the fleet and replace dying trucks over a decade. A fleet of 65 to 70 working trucks would be ideal, Wilson said, to cover the city鈥檚 55 routes.

Nick Yung, the city鈥檚 longtime refuse commissioner, retired this month after more than 40 years overseeing trash operations. The streets department is advertising for his replacement, and the city鈥檚 garbage problem will soon be the responsibility of someone of Wilson鈥檚 choosing.

Who to call?

In the meantime, residents faced with overflowing dumpsters or trashed alleys often find themselves with two options: reporting complaints to the Citizens鈥� Service Bureau and hoping for assistance, or taking on cleanup themselves.

Rauchel Anderson says her calls to the city have been mostly fruitless.

鈥淭hey say they鈥檙e going to do something, but it doesn鈥檛 happen,鈥� she said.

Anderson, 26, lives in the Penrose neighborhood in a house that she inherited from her father. Like him, she鈥檚 often forced to clean up the alley off of Calvin Avenue when the dumpsters overflow or the rancid smell becomes too much to bear.

鈥淚t鈥檚 just disgusting. I see people pulling up here and dumping trash that don鈥檛 even live around here,鈥� she said.

Anderson鈥檚 neighborhood is among those that generate the most garbage-related complaints to the city, according to a Post-Dispatch analysis of data from the Citizens鈥� Service Bureau, the city鈥檚 customer service department.

More than 23,000, or 19 percent, of complaints about excess trash, overflowing dumpsters or illegal dumping come from 10 of city鈥檚 79 neighborhoods. In order of most complaints to least, adjusted for population, they are College Hill, Fairground, Hyde Park, Walnut Park East, Academy, Vandeventer, Walnut Park West, Hamilton Heights, Fountain Park and Lewis Place.

All of those neighborhoods are in north 狐狸视频, but the data also show a problem that鈥檚 citywide. When the complaint numbers are not adjusted by population, neighborhoods such as Dutchtown, Tower Grove South and Gravois Park fall in the top 10.

The bureau has taken more than 123,000 complaints regarding excess trash, overflowing dumpsters or illegal dumping from January 2009 through July this year.

The trash complaints only show what is reported, and may not reflect the full picture of where problems are happening. Some neighborhoods may have residents who are more vocal about those issues, or have aldermen who encourage residents to call the bureau more often.

But some of those aldermen have grown frustrated after hearing from constituents whose complaints have been closed without any tangible resolution.

Dotti McDowell, a neighborhood development executive who oversees the Citizens鈥� Service Bureau and the city鈥檚 neighborhood stabilization team, said there鈥檚 been such an increase in call volume this summer that the bureau has needed 鈥渁ll hands on deck鈥� to take calls and direct complaints to the departments that can help. Residents can also

The Post-Dispatch found that in the previous five full years of data, trash-related complaints increased by 20 percent. The growth has forced the bureau to hire three new operators who are now in training, McDowell said.

鈥淭here鈥檚 just a constant breakdown of communication here. And that鈥檚 an accountability issue,鈥� said Alderman Sarah Martin, 11th Ward.

A personnel problem

The city鈥檚 trash collection problems extend far beyond equipment. From 2000-2015, there were 82 full-time refuse workers. After budget cuts, that number has dropped to 67 employees, said Rick Frank, the city鈥檚 personnel director.

鈥淭hat鈥檚 a 20 percent decrease. We have not had a 20 percent decrease in the amount of trash pickup,鈥� Frank said. 鈥淪o you鈥檙e seeing natural implications of a tremendous reduction in the number of full-time positions.鈥�

At one point, Frank said he had to authorize emergency work because only 39 employees showed up one day. Some were out on worker鈥檚 compensation, others on family medical leave, but bottom line: there weren鈥檛 enough drivers to cover more than 50 routes, he said.

鈥淭he city鈥檚 cut too deep, in terms of the number of positions it鈥檚 authorized,鈥� Frank said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not just equipment. It鈥檚 staffing issues.鈥�

Those who have remained are 鈥渃ompletely demoralized,鈥� said Eric Wisner, one of the city鈥檚 refuse collectors.

As they wait for new trucks, the refuse division has made three shift changes since the spring, asking trash collectors to start earlier, or work later or come in on weekends. That means missing time with family, children鈥檚 sporting events, and even holidays, refuse workers told the Post-Dispatch.

For those living north of Delmar Boulevard, trash complaints addressed at a slower rate

For residents in some north 狐狸视频 neighborhoods, wait times to get an issue resolved through the Citizens鈥� Service Bureau can be three tim…

Sometimes, the city has to turn to overtime. Refuse workers engage in a daily balancing act between picking up trash on scheduled routes and going back to cover routes that have been missed, Wilson said.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a scheduling nightmare,鈥� he said.

, as Yung testified to city aldermen this year.

鈥淲e want to be treated with civility and respect and paid what we鈥檙e worth,鈥� Wisner said. 鈥淵ou can obviously see right now, we鈥檙e doing everything we can just to make sure everyone gets a single collection.鈥�

It鈥檚 been a struggle to make up for a long-term lack in investment, Wilson said, but the equipment on order will ease some of the burden.

鈥淭hat鈥檚 kind of what helps us sleep at night, honestly,鈥� he said.

鈥�

Looking ahead

North 狐狸视频 has been fighting the trash battle alone for decades, Tyus said. As a longtime alderman, she says she is frustrated that serious movement to address the issue only kicked into gear when it extended to other, whiter areas of the city.

鈥淚t is amazing to me that this trash problem, which I have complained about since 1993, is now a story because it affects south 狐狸视频. But has not been a story when it just affected north 狐狸视频,鈥� she said.

Alderman Brandon Bosley, who represents the 3rd Ward 鈥� the ward with the highest number of trash-related complaints to the Citizens鈥� Service Bureau 鈥� says he wants to capitalize on the recent momentum at City Hall by exploring harsher punishments for dumpers. The existing maximum $500 fine clearly isn鈥檛 a deterrent, he says, if it costs so much more to dump garbage properly.

Bosley said he hopes to introduce legislation in coming weeks to toughen punishment for dumping in 狐狸视频 by raising fines and increasing the amount of community service hours violators must perform if caught.

The goal is to have to do so much community service, you鈥檒l never want to do this again,鈥� said Bosley, who wants to see offenders cleaning up the city for a minimum of 100 hours.

Cleaning up the community should be a top priority if 狐狸视频 wants to attract new residents and improve the quality of life for those who already call it home, he said.

鈥淚 think to a degree, it鈥檚 a mental thing. People throw trash because they see trash,鈥� Bosley said. 鈥淭hese neighborhoods don鈥檛 look like a place you鈥檇 want to lay your hat. We can鈥檛 have the city look like a dump if we want people to live here.鈥�

鈥漈ipping Point鈥� is a series of special reports that examine critical challenges facing 狐狸视频 neighborhoods. The second part:听Look who the city nailed when it used cameras to catch illegal dumpers.

Also in the series:

鈥⑻�狐狸视频 struggles to keep up with rising tide of broken, abandoned buildings

鈥⑻�LRA owns the 12,000 狐狸视频 properties no one wants. And it can't afford to maintain them.

See what questions readers had about garbage and illegal dumping in the city: go to .

Photos: Dumping on 狐狸视频, in 狐狸视频

Illegal dumping in 狐狸视频, on 狐狸视频

Illegal dumping in 狐狸视频, on 狐狸视频

Illegal dumping in 狐狸视频, on 狐狸视频

Illegal dumping in 狐狸视频, on 狐狸视频

Illegal dumping in 狐狸视频, on 狐狸视频

Meeting on trash, fireworks, brings out city residents

Repairs keep many aging trash trucks off the streets

Repairs keep many aging trash trucks off the streets

Clean Sweep tackles Jeff Vanderlou, five vacant houses demolished

Clean Sweep tackles Jeff Vanderlou, five vacant houses demolished

Illegal dumping in 狐狸视频, on 狐狸视频

Illegal dumping in 狐狸视频, on 狐狸视频

Alderman calls for more O'Fallon Park rangers, park cleanup

Trash Task Force officers take on dumpers with fines and community service

Illegal dumping in 狐狸视频, on 狐狸视频

Illegal dumping in 狐狸视频, on 狐狸视频

ST. LOUIS 鈥� On any given day, nearly half of this city鈥檚 fleet of 84 garbage trucks are out of service.

On some days, that number is even higher.

As a result, trash service has become spotty, with dumpsters overflowing and angry residents complaining of smelly garbage littering their alleys.

Basic math points to the problem. The city has 55 trash routes a day, but is running 40 to 45 trucks daily.

鈥淲hen you don鈥檛 have enough trucks, you don鈥檛 have the ability to cover all those routes,鈥� said Streets Director Jamie Wilson, who oversees the refuse division.

The problem stems from years of budget challenges, and new trash trucks not making the final cut when city leaders approved annual spending.

As a result, the fleet includes trucks that are 18 years old. The average age of vehicles in the fleet is 10 years.

A year ago, the Board of Aldermen , from $11, to bring in about $3.5 million more a year for trash service. About half of that was to be used to buy new trucks. As a result, the city got 13 new garbage trucks in the fiscal year that ended June 30. A 10-year plan calls for a total of 76 new trucks.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a great achievement to get these, which gave an injection of life into our fleet,鈥� Wilson said.

But it鈥檚 far from enough to overcome the problem.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a challenge with older听vehicles, keeping them running,鈥� Wilson said 鈥淭here are 140,000 tons of solid waste collected per year, and the wear and tear on the hydraulics of the trucks is inherent with the job they are doing. These are $250,000 vehicles. It鈥檚 a large amount of money for a big job.鈥�

While the city waits for a new shipment of trucks for this year, refuse workers struggle to keep up. Trash is being picked up on Sundays, and Wilson said his department is looking at ways to tweak schedules to cover more territory. The fleet is so short that trucks designated to pick up recycling are being used to pick up regular waste. But Wilson stressed that trash and recycling materials are not being mixed on the same route.

Garbage trucks going out earlier, staying out later as 狐狸视频 tries to tackle trash

In April, trash pickup times were changed to start collections as early as 4 a.m. and continue until 8 p.m. That schedule, however, was taking a toll on workers, who were spending more time away from their families and having to drive down alleys in the dark, he said.

Mayor Lyda Krewson, who took office in April 2017 and appointed Wilson to his current position four months later, has made cleaning up the city a priority.

鈥淭he city is not as clean as it could be. It鈥檚 not as clean as we want it to be,鈥� Krewson told the Post-Dispatch when the pickup times were adjusted in April. She has participated in two of this summer鈥檚 Clean Sweep events led by Better Family Life. The nonprofit group partners with construction contractors and volunteers one weekend day a month to take down vacant buildings, pick up trash and mow vacant lots.

The increased trash fees also have been used to buy 100 infrared cameras, placed where complaints of illegal dumping are frequent.

Alderman Cara Spencer took to Twitter this week to express displeasure with trash collection, posting a photo of an overflowing dumpster sent to her by a resident in the 20th Ward, which includes Gravois Park and parts of Marine Villa and Dutchtown neighborhoods.

With so many听trash trucks not working, she said, 鈥渋t鈥檚 no wonder our alleys look like this. We need to make room in our annual city budget for basic equipment maintenance. A decade of deferred maintenance does not smell good.鈥�

狐狸视频 alderman threatens to close O'Fallon Park over trash and other problems

On Tuesday, Spencer told the Post-Dispatch there has been a recent uptick in the number of complaints about trash.

鈥淚t鈥檚 just so bad. We鈥檝e always had issues, but it鈥檚 never been this bad.鈥�

Sheiley Lonzo, 61, lives on Iowa Street, in the Gravois Park neighborhood.

鈥淭hey used to be good about picking it up,鈥� Lonzo said. But now dumpsters behind her house are overflowing.

鈥淭hat smell be killing me. It鈥檚 a bunch of frustration,鈥� she said.

On the other side of town,听Alderman Brandon Bosley, Ward 3, said trash complaints are second only to crime in neighborhoods he represents, which include Hyde Park, 狐狸视频 Place and College Hill.

The biggest complaint is that the dumpsters are in terrible condition. Another issue is that once emptied, they are placed back on top of trash that fell out.

鈥淭hen it rains, gets stuck to the ground forever and you have to power-wash it to get rid of it. It鈥檚 definitely gotten worse,鈥� Bosley said.

While this may appear to be a small issue, Bosley said, 鈥渋t is big in people鈥檚 minds. When you walk around in nothing but decay, your mind succumbs to decay.鈥� Bosley was referring not only to trash, but the high number of lots choked with weeds and illegal dumping in vacant buildings.

First Ward Alderman Sharon Tyus voted against the trash increase last year, saying then 鈥� and now 鈥� that residents should not be paying for service they are not getting. The city is seeing the scope of the issue by holding off on buying trash trucks, she said.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a problem probably bigger than we knew,鈥� Tyus said. 鈥淭hey let this whole truck thing get out of hand.鈥�

Trash pickup services were once provided through the city鈥檚 budget, at no additional cost to residents. That changed in 2010, when city leaders agreed to begin charging $11 a month to help cover the mounting costs.

Tyus said one way to improve trash service is by having aldermen loan, with interest, money to the city from their annual capital improvement budgets. Doing so, she said, would allow the city to get more new trucks on the streets faster.

But her concern is that the money would never be paid back, and the discretion aldermen have to make improvements in their wards would be greatly diminished.

鈥淲e can鈥檛 let this city become one big trash bin,鈥� Tyus said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 going to become too much and make middle-class and working-class people look for other places to live.鈥�

Jose de Jesus Ortiz of the Post-Dispatch contributed to this report.