By Cheryl Splain, KnoxPages.com reporter
MOUNT VERNON — Residents will soon have additional time to dispose of yard waste at the Thayer Road compost facility. City Council members discussed the issue during a Finance and Budget Committee meeting prior to Monday’s regular council session and agreed to fund an extra day on a trial basis.
The idea stems from a joint meeting in June with the Knox County Commissioners. Commissioner Thom Collier said the facility is heavily utilized with most of the use coming from city residents. Open Wednesday and Saturday from April through October, Monday has been proposed as the additional day for the facility to be open; council agreed to let the commissioners choose.
The city and county equally share the operational cost for the facility, which City Auditor Terry Scott said runs between $7,300 and $7,500 a year; the city budgets $4,000 for its half. “What has an impact on that is severe weather or storms but normal operations run about that,” he said.
Scott estimated a cost of $2,900 to open an extra day April through October; council would pay half, or $1,450. Councilman Sam Barone said opening an additional day is a “reasonable experiment” and that for a marginal cost, residents could get more use of the facility.
