UPDATE, Tuesday evening: I neglected to mention an email that I received pointing out the increasing frequency of dog waste on city sidewalks in the downtown. I have not had the misfortune to step in any canine calling cards. It’s worth saying, though, that a phony war on dumpsters (see below) leaves aside any number of more important needs to health and aesthetics.
Thursday, April 3rd was Whitewater’s most recent Common Council meeting. (Normally held on Tuesdays, the election on April 1st pushed back the Common Council meeting by two days.)
Part of the Common Council meeting concerned a discussion on enforcement of regulations on placement and screening of dumpsters. That’s dumpsters, the green metal bins in which people discard trash. One of the members of the Common Council felt that many — too many — of them were situated improperly, and in violation of local regulations.
As happened once before concerning supposed housing violations, the Council saw his computer slide presentation with photographs of many dumpsters that, our community heard, were positioned improperly.
The presentation itself was odd, awkward, and — most of all — lengthy. I have commented on how counter-productive a presentation like this can be, in a previous post. (See, “Common Council Meeting for August 21st: Part 2.”) If one could listen to the whole presentation without wincing, then once has no sense.
I am sure that a few dumpsters here or there are situated improperly. It’s hardly our city’s biggest matter of concern. I would have no interest in photographing supposed municipal violations of our regulations on dumpsters, on a Sunday afternoon, or any other time.
There is no gain to Whitewater — but much loss — from a government of the tape measure.