CLEARFIELD – The Clearfield County Solid Waste Authority (CCSWA) is considering a ticketing program, announced Lyle Millard, CCSWA chairman at Tuesday’s commissioners’ meeting.
Millard said the CCSWA would like to begin issuing tickets versus citations, which end up in court. He said ticketing programs are currently in place in many municipalities, including Lawrence Township.
According to him, the CCSWA is considering a ticketing program that would start out with a warning, then initial small fines of $25-$50 and then progress to larger fines of up to $300. He said the CCSWA hasn’t developed any definite guidelines for the ticketing program.
He said the purpose of a CCSWA ticketing program would be to take care of the “small things” and to generate some revenue. He said the CCSWA wouldn’t issue a citation to a property owner unless they remained in violation after being issued a ticket.
Millard asked the commissioners if the CCSWA could implement the ticketing program within an existing ordinance. The commissioners deferred feedback to Solicitor Kim Kesner, who indicated that he didn’t represent the CCSWA.
Commissioner John A. Sobel asked Kesner if he could provide any input based upon his knowledge and experience. Kesner said he could answer the question; however, he wasn’t sure if the CCSWA would want him to do so publicly.
Kesner explained that his opinion may differ from that of the CCSWA solicitor. He said it’s not typical to discuss “gray areas of the law” publicly. He said the only authority that would grant permission for this is township and borough codes.
Kesner said that good ideas, such as the ticketing program, need to be grounded within the appropriate authority. Commissioner Joan Robinson-McMillen, chair, said she believed it was a good idea to explore and it could be discussed during future commissioners’ meetings.
Kesner told Millard that he was willing to assist and support the CCSWA in any way possible.