City mandates trash service

City officials have determined it is in the best interest of the city to seek a single provider for solid waste collection. The City Council approved an ordinance mandating that "all structures in the city in which persons reside or where any business, industrial, commercial or other enterprise is operated shall use the refuse pick up services provided for by this chapter," according to the ordinance approved Tuesday, Nov. 17.

Following discussion and approval of the ordinance, the Council authorized city officials to advertise for bids.

Initially, alderman Ray Easley voted against reading the ordinance saying: "I'm all in favor of a single server. We need that."

"I'm not in favor of the ordinance. I don't believe the city should collect the bill and I believe people should be able to opt out. I can't agree with it," Easley said.

The newest Council member, Ginger Larson shared that she had spent hours researching the issue, calling other towns and cities and discovered that most cities require a single server and she believes the price should not increase. She also said that the water departments in the other towns collect the fees.

City Street superintendent Nathan See said there is an option for senior citizens for a $3 minimum to purchase bags for $1.50 a bag. He explained there are persons who do not generate enough trash to make the larger trash receptacle a need.

Mayor Jackie Crabtree said: "At first, I was for the carrier collecting the money, but there was not a way to find out who was using it and to enforce it. Plus, if we collect the fee through the Water Department (which we're well able to do), we can get a percentage to cover the cost."

Crabtree also said the bid document requires the price to not increase over what the city currently allows.

A city resident, Karen Kitterman said the option for senior citizens would not help her and she does not need trash service as she is allowed to deposit her household trash at work. She said the age limit on opting out for senior citizens did not include her.

"My goal was for the price to not go up. The current recycling doesn't work," Larsen said. "We surpassed it five years ago. It's constantly creating work for Nathan (See)."

Alderman Cody Keene asked See how many man hours are used on the city's current recycle program. See said 20 man hours per week.

The mayor said the recycle trailers would be removed, except possibly the cardboard recycle trailer, as recycling would be provided through the single serve hauler.

City attorney Shane Perry said low volume customers are not addressed in the ordinance, but are addressed in the bid document.

"There are over 800 households in the city without trash pickup. You can speculate what many of those people are doing with their trash," Perry said, explaining that if opting out were opened up to anyone, hundreds of people would opt out. "You have to make a decision just has to be made to do what's in the best interest of everyone. I don't feel comfortable having a standard where there's no objective standard."

"From code enforcement," city building official Tony Townsend said, "there are lots of backyards with privacy fences and garages full of trash."

"A lot of that ends up in the city receptacles ... we pick it up at the park, on the side of the road, at the recycle trailers," See said.

"I do know from history of dealing with these haulers, dealing with people who are disabled," See said, "They do help them."

"We'll get the bid document out this week," Crabtree said.

"That ordinance makes it mandatory and gives us the ability to choose a single trash hauler," Perry reiterated.

The bid should be awarded at the December City Council meeting.