By Staff
Leada Gore, Hartselle Enquirer
Hartselle is one step closer to providing its own garbage service.
The city council recently approved purchasing new garbage containers. The bins will be used by local residents, as well as larger sites and municipal buildings. The city will begin automated garbage pickup in February.
City officials have said they feel they can provide better service than the county is currently offering without any increased cost.
The city will spend some $49.27 per container for 95-gallon bins and $44.61 per container for 65-gallon bins. The city estimated needing some 9,400 of the larger containers and 100 smaller ones, bringing the total cost for household bins to some $467,599.
City Clerk Rita Lee said the exact number of bins to be ordered hasn't been determined. Surveys went out recently with Hartselle Utility bills about the exact size bin people will want. If more opt for the smaller containers, the city's cost could go down. Lee said the city's bid included an option to change the number of bins to be ordered.
The low bid for the household containers went to Schaefer Systems Inc.
The council also approved spending some $18,000 for 20 58-gallon containers and 40 300-gallon containers. The 58-gallon containers will be decorative ones placed at city parks and throughout downtown. The 300-gallon containers will be used at several locations, including city buildings that are currently using small dumpsters.
The lowest bid for those items came from Ingram Equipment.
It was the additional $18,000 that had one City Councilman concerned. Councilman Mark Mizell said bids for those items had come in higher than expected and he wanted to wait on that purchase. Mayor Dwight Tankersley advised against waiting, however, saying without the specialized containers that trash would still have to be picked up by hand.
The council, including Mizell, eventually voted in favor of the entire purchase.