Discussion turned to anger at the Nov. 27 Grey Forest City Council and a council member attempted to resign over an ordinance on garbage cans.

Ordinance 160, developed in part by Councilwoman Laura Chaffee, was written to reduce the current three ordinances on trash cans to one simple ordinance.

Some council members objected to a $500 fine against the rule’s violators, as well as the window of time in which to put out and bring in the garbage cans.

Darst tried to rein in the meeting by directing council members back to ordinance specifics.

“Boy, we really are policing the heck out of the garbage,” Nettles said, reading the ordinance’s time allocations for leaving garbage cans outside.

“I can’t even imagine the impact this is going to have on some people who don’t have a long, level frontyard like you have,” he said, referring to Chaffee.

“I have a level frontyard?” she retorted.

Councilwoman Jennifer Nottingham broke in asking about the new pick-up date , which is Saturday.

“That means you can’t put it out until after work on Friday, and you have to have it in before you go to church on Sunday. And if you’re out of town over the weekend, you just don’t put your garbage out?”, Nottingham asked.

Nettles broke in: “No, you just get a citation.”

“No,” replied Chaffee. “You ask a neighbor to bring it in for you.”

“This is more liberal than what most (cities) had. Most of them, you had to have them back in by 10:00 p.m. the same day,” she said. “I have never seen a city where garbage cans sit outside all of the time.”

Darst defended Chaffee at one point on the need for the ordinance.

“I guarantee you, that at any given time, 30 percent of the cans are on the street,” he said.

Councilman Jeff Waldrop disagreed with the ordinance.

“I don’t necessarily like them (in the street), but I don’t like a regulation, either,” he said.

Chaffee grew upset:

“Why don’t we just disband the city?” she asked. “You have rules; that’s why you have a city.”

“I guess I just have a hard time mandating every moment of people’s lives,” Waldrop said.

“It says don’t put your garbage can out until garbage day, and you take it back in afterward. How is that mandating every moment of people’s lives?” Chaffee asked.

Nettles said he moved to Grey Forest to avoid mandates.

“The place I moved from, we had clean sidewalks, lights and 24-hour police protection, but I moved out here to get away from all of that,” he said. “I liked living here where I didn’t have rules or regulations. You’re trying to create the very thing I tried to escape.”

“Then you move out to the county,” Chaffee said.

As Darst tried to bring the discussion back to the ordinance, Chaffee grew increasingly upset. Waldrop made a motion to adopt the ordinance with the elimination of item No. 5.

Darst suggested the council table to issue and bring it up at another meeting.

“I don’t think we can live under the old (ordinance),” Chaffee said. “I think this needs to be done tonight.”

Darst said that they could also call a special meeting, at which point Chaffee tried to resign.

“Guys, I can’t do this,” she said. “I’m ready to resign. I’m resigning.”

Chaffee then stood up and walked out of the room. Darst called for a 15-minute recess and followed her out.

As the audience and council marked off the time, Darst calmed Chaffee in the other room. She came back in 10 minutes later and apologized. Darst gave a short statement, giving the City Council members credit for putting so much time and energy into the job.

Chaffee rejoined the council, and Darst called for the ordinance to be put on the agenda for the next meeting.