By Ben Robinson
Staff Reporter

brobinson@thepccourier.com

PICKENS — Mayor David Owens asked members of Pickens City Council to start considering plans to rid the city of the dumpsters behind city hall.

“Think about doing away with the recycling bins out here,” Owens said during a city council work session Monday night. “It’s an eyesore — there’s just stuff all over. It takes these guys many hours to clean up around there. That’s why they’re running late now, not getting recycling done.”

Owens said the county had provided the containers.

“We can give it back to them if they want them,” Owens said. “My thinking is we’ll send out notices with the water bills and just encourage people in the city to recycle where our guys can pick them up.”

Others using the dump site are coming from areas within the county.

“That’s probably most of the people,” Owens said. “They can go to the convenience centers.”

Councilmember Patti Welborn suggested that the area could be used for other purposes, such as a farmer’s market.

In other news, city administrator Bruce Evilsizor said he hopes council will hire a new police chief by Oct. 19.

Council also discussed utility fees. According to officials, Fort Hill pays its franchise fee to the city on an annual basis, while other utilities pay their franchise fees on a quarterly schedule. Starting this year, Fort Hill will pay the fee based on its fiscal year, which will move the payments about six months on the calendar, Evilsizor said.

Evilsizor said the move may require council to reschedule some of its financial obligations as money becomes available.