By LEONARD GRAY

Managing Editor

DESTREHAN – St. Charles Parish District Three Councilman G. “Ram” Ramchandran refuses to give up on his trash pick-up ordinance.

At Monday’s meeting of the St. Charles Parish Council, Ramchandran’s ordinance, approved six weeks previously, was rescinded by an 8-0 vote, bowing to public pressure from Ormond area residents. Councilman Barry Minnich was absent, and Ramchandran concurred with the rescinsion after hearing the residents’ arguments.

The ordinance called for penalties of up to $500 or 30 days in jail, if residents in Ormond Country Club Estates and Ormond Plantation Estates set out their trash cans before 6 p.m. on the day prior to pickup.

A similar ordinance met the same fate in 1993 when residents objected for the same reasons.

Ramchandran reported he had received upwards on 75 telephone calls against the ordinance, and some 40 supporting his position.

“People would leave their trash cans out for a week, 10 days,” Ramchandran said, and added that some residents made it a practice to never pick up their trash cans but would just bring the trash to curb.

The councilman said, though, that practice was unsightly and could cause a health hazard.

“We need it, because on two or three streets, they never move the cans from the front yard,” he asserted.

However, it was that penalty paragraph which raised hackles at the meeting, residents objecting to possibly going to jail for putting out their trash too early.

“Ninety percent of the people had no problem with the ordinance, but not the penalty clause,” Ramchandran added.

So with two ordinances shot down, Ramchandran commented, “Bring it back up? Oh, definitely!”

He added though that on his next try, he would reduce the penalty for non-compliance.