Ad Check: Free Trash

Their "fact":
That "they" turned down the restoration of free trash in favor of hiring new police officers. In addition they state that we "have enough police officers".

The truth:
Besides not identifying who the "they" is in their statement, there is some truth in stating that some council member favored a fully staffed police department over restoring free trash. This is especially so when you factor in that Purzner, Knode, Sellers, and Owesnby will not reveal the details behind the "free trash." And the devil is in the details. Is it free landfill waste, but citizens pay for recycling? Do we pay for large item pickup?
Regarding having enough police officers, we have been short the number of officers that have been budgeted for a year or two. Purzner has stated she would like to see the city generate revenue by "selling" our dispatching services to other municipalities. To do this, we would need a full-strength dispatching section of the police department.
As far as what the public favors, most folks I have spoken with would rather have a full strength, highly effective LOCAL police department over the promise of free trash.