Gillett residents will pay $100 for garbage collection in 2014, as the city transitions from city-provided pickup to a private contractor.
The $100 fee is scheduled to be included on the property tax bill.
The City Council on Thursday adopted the fee with a 5-1 vote. Alderperson Debbie Erickson cast the only dissenting vote, saying she would like to review the city’s department budgets for 2014 before assessing taxpayers for the service.
The council also finalized its agreement with Harter’s Fox Valley Disposal, of Wittenberg, as its trash collector beginning in January. The five-year contract will cost about $50,000 annually, which equates to $8.35 per month per resident.
City officials have discussed garbage collection alternatives since late 2012. Garbage pickup is budgeted to cost the city $56,000 in 2013, but is anticipated to break even for 2014 with the new fee and private contractor taking over.
Under the city’s present system, residents purchase stickers for $1.50 each and place them on their garbage bags. With a switch to a private firm, residents will place their bags inside a 95-gallon tote. No stickers will be used.
Resident Del Miller questioned the need to charge $100, saying the switch to a private contractor was done to save money, not cost taxpayers.
Public Works Director Tim Christensen said residents were already paying a garbage fee when they purchased stickers, so the assessment is not new.
He said the cheapest alternative for the city is to contract with a private firm.
“The way that we’re going to save money is we’re not going to buy new equipment and put $350,000 into a new garbage truck and have monthly payments,” he said.
By outsourcing the service, the city also will pay less for equipment maintenance, tipping fees, fuel and other expenses. The city’s garbage truck is past is life expectancy, he added.
Employee costs are also anticipated to fall, as a part-time employee will be reduced to minimal hours, Mayor Irene Drake said.
The city will not change its recycling program, since that service is under contract to Oconto County through Dec. 31, 2015. It will also continue its commercial pickup service for customers interested in the service.
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