City Commission votes for binding Waste Hauler Votes 5-0 at August 12th meeting. Single Hauler specifics and details tabled for later discussion.

Teachers  or  Students   of the English Language, like Mayor  Hardy, were astounded to learn that changing  the ballot language from advisory to binding involved changing no more than one word. The first word. Should is advisory. Shall  is binding.

At the August  12th meeting City Commissioners voted 
unanimously  to hold an election on the single waste hauler that would be per state regulations be a binding vote.

Attorney Hampton offered  the opinon that outside the realm of  a state sponsored election the Commission was free to act as it saw fit in terms of  hiring  single waste hauler. However there could be consequences of such a move.

None of the Commissioners wanted to go that route.  Commissioners Coakley, McClure, and Sheer were the most vocal in fulfilling a promised election for the residents. McClure equivocated at one point with  the thought  that if the Garbage Trucks were really destroying the streets, maybe  acting sooner than later might be prudent but no one wanted to go there either.  Hardy and Commisioner Dull were less vocal but voted with majority.
Mayor Hardy asked  City Manager Cravens, "What if they ( the City Residents) vote no ?

"Well then we will have to live with the will of the people." Cravens replied, sounding a bit like Rhett Butler talking to Scarlett. 

However the Mayor deserves credit for asking the first "what if " Question of an issue that dates back to the year prior. Trouble is she usually asks just one question when more are needed. There are 75 days between now and the November 4th binding waste hauler vote. Many questions and many "what ifs" need to be considered.

A  detailed  game plan  approaching 60 pages  of  how a Single Waste Hauler could or would  be considered  or hired and what changes that would mean for the City was tabled pending the November Election results.

By special arrangement with County and State elections, the City was able to email it's decision to hold a binding vote on the waste hauler issue  and  beat a midnight August 12th  deadline  to get "Shall.."placed on the  November ballot.