The Pineville City Council held their first reading of the Disposal or Removal of Brush and Lawn Clippings ordinance during a special-called meeting on Monday.

“This is the policy of the city of Pineville right now, but there’s no ordinance on it. This is what was in place when I became mayor,” said Pineville Mayor Scott Madon. “Basically, (the city) picks stuff up, but if you contract with somebody to do it, we legally cannot clean up after contractors.”

A contractor is defined in the ordinance as “anyone employed to work on a property, regardless if for a fee or not, that does not own the property and is not cohabitant or an immediate relative of the property owner, and whose work on the property results in debris that exceeds one standard truck bed load of brush and lawn clippings or exceeds any other quantitative or material limitations…”

The ordinance states that the city will provide a pickup service for the removal of brush, lawn clippings and small trash items from households during times determined by the city. All brush or lawn clippings must be placed in boxes or containers sturdy enough to be handled by the collector.

The ordinance states the total loaded weight of each container cannot exceed 50 pounds per carton. Leaves need to be placed in lawn bags.

“Such items shall be placed at the curb or alley line no earlier than the day preceding a set collection day or at the time the call for collection request is placed by city resident,” the ordinance states.

According to the ordinance, the city can impose additional charges for tree limbs exceeding 3 feet in length and 1 inch in diameter or for brush not bundled or placed in a box or container. The city may also impose additional charges upon the resident for disposal or removal of more than five leaf bags or any bag exceeding 30 pounds.