EAST CLEVELAND, OH — East Cleveland is fighting back against illegal dumping in the city, introducing a new partnership with the Cuyahoga County Environmental Crimes Task Force and planning new, tougher penalties to fight dumping.

“There will be hell to pay if you dump in East Cleveland,” Mayor Sandra Morgan told a crowd gathered for a town hall meeting Thursday.

A trip around town revealed the scope of the problems.

Furniture, tires and other trash stretched for yards near Collamer and Elderwood.

Over on Taylor Road, two piles of dumped furniture frame Erica Anderson’s home.

“I’m tired of it,” said Anderson. “Real tired of it.”

So is the mayor.

“It’s not a minor thing,” said Morgan. “It’s significant. It plays a really significant role in ruining our community.”

She said it’s not just a nuisance, but also drives away potential investment in the city.

It’s why she’s hoping the new partnership, aimed at investigating, catching and prosecuting illegal dumpers, makes a difference.

It’s an effort the city plans to bolster by increasing penalties that Morgan said often amounted to only a slap on the wrist.

“They wouldn’t dare dump in their own communities,” said Morgan, “but they feel they can come here because they don’t think that we care.”

To change the perception, in the coming weeks, she hopes council will approve potential jail time, impose steep fines and require people caught dumping to pay for the cleanup — changes the mayor hopes will send a strong message.

“This is the city saying we’re not a landfill and we’re not going to take your crap anymore,” said Morgan.