Columbus residents are facing a hike in garbage collection rates, and the city is working to minimize the sting.
The city is weighing how to proceed with residential trash pickup as its contract with Golden Triangle Waste Services expires in September. GTWS had been struggling with mechanical issues and replacing aging trucks, leading to delays in garbage pickup. It began receiving new trucks in late February.
Complaints generated by those delays led the city to put out a request for proposals earlier this year. All of the proposals — even the one from GTWS — include a price increase, Mayor Keith Gaskin said.
“Unfortunately, as with everything, costs are on the rise,” Mayor Keith Gaskin said. “Whatever decision we make, garbage pickup will be increased from what people are used to paying. What we’re hoping to do is have the best product possible.”
CFO James Brigham told The Dispatch four companies responded to the RFP: GTWS, Waste Pro, Arrow Disposal Service and Waste Management. GTWS had the lowest bid at $18.45 per household per month, and the other three companies’ bids ranged as high as $24.19.
The city now pays GTWS $10.50 per customer per month, Brigham said, but customers pay $17.50 on their monthly bill. That extra $7 covers other city expenses, Brigham explained, such as landfill charges and disposal of electronics and mattresses.
The city is looking at slashing that charge as part of its cost-reduction strategy, Brigham said.
“I’m concerned that when we go up to, say, $25, it may show up on your utility bill as $30 or $32,” Brigham said. “That’s a big jump. A 50 to 100% jump is not acceptable to me, but I would prefer that to raising taxes. Once that mill goes in, it (usually) never comes out.”
The proposals submitted included two trash pickups per week, Brigham said, which is what the city currently enjoys with GTWS. The city also asked vendors to include a trash can for each residence.
All of those permutations are on the table as far as cutting costs, Brigham said. All four companies have been asked to make suggestions on how to drive the price down without compromising service.
“I’m not sure going from two pickups a week to one is a huge customer service hit if you’re getting steady, good service that one time a week,” he said. “I don’t consider that a major hit if it can save us money.”
The city asked the companies to also look at different routing options, as well as what the cost would be without providing a bin.
“That’s a big cost,” Brigham said. “Ten thousand bins has got to be pretty expensive.”
Modified proposals are due back by May 15, Brigham said.
The proposals were discussed during last week’s council work session, and Ward 3 Councilman Rusty Greene was the primary driver in asking the vendors to make another pass at their proposals.
Thursday afternoon Greene told The Dispatch he thought the city could make do with one pickup weekly.
“They do it (once weekly) in the county,” Greene said. “I think everybody could adjust, especially if you have a bin. I think if we get a bin and go to one-day-a-week, that would be a good solution. I really think twice a week is overkill.”
Vice Mayor Joseph Mickens, who represents Ward 2 on the council, agreed that twice-a-week pickup is likely off the table.
“It’s going to be almost impossible to continue to do two pickups at the price we were paying,” he said. “Them days are over with. It’s going to come down to either the citizens can handle once a week, or the price is going to go way up. … We need to try that one week for now and see how it works out.”
Ward 4 Councilman Pierre Beard disagreed.
“I am not for one-day pickup,” he said. “If certain areas can do one-day pickup, they can go with that, but these houses in my ward need twice-a-week pickup.”
Brian Jones is the local government reporter for Columbus and Lowndes County.
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