INDEPENDENCE, Mo. — Some frustrated tenants at an apartment complex near East College and Route 23 in Independence says for almost they’ve been dealing with a smelly, trash bin mess just outside their homes.
On Monday, a city code inspector posted a violation notice at the property.
“It’s drawing flies, bugs and rats all day long and a lot of kids come over here to play,” says an outraged Jamie Mommsen, who contacted Fox 4 for help.
“I’ve called the Health Department, my landlord and I don’t know what else to do. The city inspector told us we have to keep our trash inside our apartments because we cannot put anymore trash outside in the Dumpster,” says Mommsen.
Mommsen and her neighbors say the trash container, that services 14 units, has not been emptied in almost a month and they are sick of the awful smell and growing health concern.
“It’s like that every year. During the winter time and during the spring time, ” says Tiffany Kershner, who also lives on the property.
Jeff Cheek is with Deffenbaugh Disposal Service in Kansas City, Kansas.
He says for the second time this year, they stopped picking up the trash at the complex because the owner, McBee Properties, stopped paying their bill.
“They know they’re supposed to pay their bill and if they can’t pay for the service, we probably can’t service them it sounds like,” Cheek told Fox 4’s Robert Townsend by telephone Friday afternoon.
“When I was over here last week showing a unit over in this area, the Dumpster was fine,” says Office Manager Chasity Keaster.
Keaster says she doesn’t know how the trash container mess got so out of control or why it hasn’t been cleaned up.
“I got the phone call from the city today. I had a tenant call me earlier in the week. I’m getting it taken care of,” Keaster added
Interestingly, by late Friday evening, Jeff Cheek called Fox 4’s Robert Townsend to say that McBee Properties has now paid its past due trash bill and that the trash should be picked up sometime overnight Friday or by early Saturday morning.
“We pay our rent, why can’t they pay the trash bill?” asks Jamie Mommsen.
