The more things change, the more they stay the same.
Columbus City Council voted unanimously at a Thursday afternoon special-call meeting to continue contracting with Golden Triangle Waste Service for garbage collection.
Almost everything else is still up in the air, however, including the number of trash pickups per week and whether citizens will receive a bin.
“The council voted to stay with them, but we will negotiate whether we will stay with two days a week or one day,” Mayor Keith Gaskin said after the meeting. “… Whether we provide bins or not will be negotiated as well.”
The term of the contract has also yet to be decided, Gaskin said.
According to documents provided by Chief Financial Officer James Brigham, in the most recent round of negotiations GTWS quoted a price of $13.95 per month per customer for one day a week pickup with bins; $18.45 for two days a week pickup with bins; $11.95 for one day a week pickup without bins; and $17.45 for two days a week without bins.
They were the lowest bidder in all areas except one day a week pickup with bins, where Arrow Disposal came in at $11.97. Brigham had previously recommended the city contract with Arrow Disposal Service based on that price and the once-per-week pickup.
Waste Pro and Waste Management had also submitted proposals.
GTWS currently charges the city $10.50 per customer per month for two pickups per week. The city adds on a $7 charge on top of that to cover landfill fees and other expenses.
That means customers could still be looking at a significant increase in cost if the city opts to stay with two pickups per week and also wants bins, Brigham told the council.
“If you take (GTWS’s rate of $18.45) for twice a week with bins, that would be around $27 or $27.50 per month,” Brigham said. “… There’s no way there’s not going to be a significant increase for our citizens.”
Ward 5 Councilman Stephen Jones all but said he wouldn’t accept anything less than two times a week.
“From all the research I’ve done and talking to people (in my ward), they want two days,” Jones said.
Ward 3 Councilman Rusty Greene took the opposite stance.
“A lot of people have reached out to me, and everybody doesn’t think that two is necessary,” Greene said. “They think we can get by with one.”
Gaskin suggested a third tack.
“A lot of people have reached out to me with the idea that if we go to one day to keep costs down, to have a second bin for residents to keep trash in until that day comes around,” Gaskin said.
Another complication the city must wrangle is the billing fee, Brigham said. Columbus Light and Water handles billing for garbage pickup and charges the city 2%. It is increasing that fee to 5%, which will further increase rates.
GTWS has picked up garbage in Columbus for more than 20 years, but relations with the city became strained after supply chain issues caused frequent interruptions in service. As frustrations mounted, the council voted in January to put out a request for proposals.
Tuesday night the council tabled the proposals to ask for more options for twice-a-week pickup after Jones and Beard said they had gotten pushback from constituents on cutting back to once a week.
GTWS Manager Mary Ann Gilliland told The Dispatch she is glad the city decided to stick with her organization.
“We’re thankful, very thankful,” she said. “At this point that’s all I know to say. But we’ve still got a long road to go before Sept. 1.”
Brian Jones is the local government reporter for Columbus and Lowndes County.
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Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 33 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
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