Residents urge Mount Clemens to act on long‑vacant house and complain about refuse collection

Residents used public participation to press the Mount Clemens commission on two recurring neighborhood issues: a long‑vacant, deteriorated city‑owned house and continuing problems with refuse collection.

Joe E. Harrington, who identified himself as a lifelong Mount Clemens resident at 152 Court Street, described a city‑owned property at Court and Park that he said has been vacant, condemned and neglected for “about 30 years,” and urged the commission to prioritize remediation. “It's been boarded up, and that cut down on the drugs and the prostitution,” Harrington said, adding that repeated short sales and returns to the city have left the property a long‑running nuisance.

Dolores Kaceniak told commissioners she observed refuse crews in which “2 men, 1 is picking up the trash and the other 1 is walking down the street on his cell phone,” and reported an incident in which a Christmas tree was left in the street before a second worker returned to clear it. “I'm gonna take a video of it,” Kaceniak said, describing ongoing frustration with curbside service.

Resident Gloria Haller responded to the trash complaint and noted that Christmas trees may be considered compost and are not accepted in regular trash, while also criticizing routine quarterly report requirements for diverting staff time from core services.

City Manager Brown told the commission that administration has met with representatives of the property owner for the problematic lot on Robertson and Northbound Grash and that officials will re‑evaluate the property’s condition and continue discussions. On refuse, Brown said the city is in regular contact with contractor Rizzo Environmental, that the policy currently prohibits collection of cans (bags only), and that administration will continue to address reported collection concerns.

Commissioners requested follow‑up from staff to determine next steps on the long‑running property and encouraged residents to report specific refuse incidents to administration so they can be investigated.