By Staff
Leada Gore, Hartselle Enquirer
Hartselle will soon be getting into the garbage business.
The City Council gave its go ahead Tuesday night to Mayor Dwight Tankersley to proceed with his plan for providing weekly garbage and yard waste pickup in the city.
The city's current garbage contract was scheduled to end in July, but county officials said they would be willing to extend it until February.
Under Tankersley's plan, the city would spend $480,000 for three automated trucks to provide weekly pickup of garbage and yard waste, such as grass clippings and leaves. Other expenses include $240,000 for 5,000 garbage containers; $192,000 for yard waste containers; $89,162 for a transfer station; $83,000 for a transfer trailer; and $50,000 for a truck.
Tankersley said the city will use money from the general fund to pay for the transfer station and municipal leases for the remainder of the costs.
The plan calls for residents to pay $9.50 a month, the same as the current charge.
People speaking at a public hearing earlier this month voiced overwhelming support for the plan. Any concerns centered on how some people, mainly senior citizens, would be able to maneuver the large garbage containers. A trio of seniors attended Tuesday's meeting and tried out the sample containers in the council chambers. The test won at least one of the seniors over to the plan.
"I was very apprehensive about whether we could handle them (the containers," Mary Shaddrix said. "But after we were showed them and handled them, they were easier to handle than the ones we have now."
But everyone is not convinced. Council President Kenny Thompson cast the lone vote against the garbage plan. Thompson was a member of the City Council in the 1980s that voted to use the county to provide the service.
"I thought one of the strongest things we (the former council) did was get away from providing garbage service," he said.