Reversing course, Ankeny will offer curbside debris pickup after May's severe storms

The Ankeny City Council voted to override the city's own rules and offer curbside debris pickup to homes impacted by the May 21 storms.

Setting aside the city's debris management policy, the council unanimously voted during a special meeting Friday to offer curbside pickup to residents left with tree debris after the severe weather earlier in the week.

Pickup is scheduled to begin May 30. Further details will be announced.

Council member Joe Ruddy called the vote an "easy decision." Council member Jeff Perry said the council should consider having a work session to discuss adding flexibility to the debris policy.

The city's damage assessment team found that the damage did not meet the requirements for curbside pickup or a drop-off site under the policy, which was approved by the council in 2021 and considers the percentage of homes with damage across sections of the city.

The decision drew outcry on social media from Ankeny residents who were dealing with the storm's aftermath, and officials are now expected to re-tool the policy.

Other cities offered curbside pick-up

Several communities across the Des Moines metro have offered curbside pickup service to their residents for tree and branch debris that blew into their yards after the storm — but Ankeny was not one of them.

Aside from a recycling event, homeowners were encouraged to work with their private trash hauler or tree service to arrange for pickup.

"The city acknowledges the inconvenience and challenges posed by the recent thunderstorm," a news release said. "Our thoughts are with those who were impacted by the storm."

The city moved up the date of its planned tree and branch recycling event to June 1 in response to the storm damage. Reports of damage appear to have been uneven across the city, with some older neighborhoods hit especially hard, and residents expressed concern about the accessibility of the recycling event.

Their concerns culminated in the Friday special meeting to change course.

Council member Bobbi Bentz said this was the first time there was a major event under the policy since it went into place and it was helpful to see a test of the policy. She said she now questions the policy's use of quadrants to assess damage and whether it should instead use smaller sections.

Also, Bentz noted, though there have been disaster proclamations from the state and federal governments, that opens up resources for individuals — not the city.

According to city documents, the curbside pickup could cost over $300,000, on top of the time public works staff will spend away from other planned and needed work. Instead of curbside pickup, city staff recommended tripling the total recycling hours, adding a second day and making sure the public knows about other resources, while reserving curbside pick-up for catastrophic disasters.

Ankeny did offer curbside service after the 2020 derecho.

Council member Todd Shafer said that it will be important to keep cost in mind, given the possible frequency of damaging storms, as officials work to keep the tax rate low.

Council members also emphasized that staff were following the city's policy as written.

Storm clean-up continues across northern Polk County

Severe weather across Iowa earlier this week devastated the city of Greenfield and included a tornado that traveled 41 miles from Johnston to Zearing. The storms left tens of thousands without power across the Des Moines metro, caused "extensive damage" to Johnston High School and downed trees and power lines across Polk County.

No major injuries were reported in Polk County, the Des Moines Register previously reported, but there were reports of some severe damage and total losses to homes in the northern part of the county, especially around Elkhart and White Oak.

The North Polk school district, based in Alleman, reported there were 20 district families impacted by the storm, spokesperson Hunter Fleshner said. Property damage ranged from partial to total loss.

High school students were part of a clean-up crew to help impacted residents in the White Oak area, east of Alleman, on Thursday.

A community meal was also staged Friday evening in Elkhart for those affected by the tornado.

Chris Higgins covers the eastern and northern suburbs for the Register. Reach him at chiggins@registermedia.com or 515-423-5146 and follow him on Twitter @chris_higgins_

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Will Ankeny offer curbside pickup for tree debris after severe storm?