It is Saturday and I'm reading the "Mayor's Report" in the local paper while listening to the incessant din of the village leaf sweepers working, on what I assume is overtime. It reminds me of the board of trustees meeting I attended last year. At that meeting I proposed that the village should get out of the leaf collection business. Instead, all landscapers should be required to take the leaves they gather away with them. Those trustees and department heads present greeted my suggestion with smiles and silence. So, now, I put it to you the taxpayers and alleged beneficiaries of the service.

This week the mayor's report states that leaves left in the street are a hazard because: they contribute to car fires when contacted by catalytic converters; they can cause slippery surfaces when wet, contributing to vehicle skids; and they present a danger to children who may jump into a pile and be injured by dangerous debris hidden there.

I allege that we could: save a considerable amount of tax money by selling the equipment and reducing the staff or transferring some of them to more productive duties; alleviate most of the hazards presented by the current system; eliminate the noise of the leaf trucks; have cleaner streets and lawns; and eliminate the potential of leaves being buried under the first snow of the season and the consequent mess throughout the winter.

The only down side I see is that the few residents who do not have landscapers would have to bag their leaves for removal on Wednesday. What do you think?

Arnold J. Finamore