A Wittenberg firm has been selected to pick up garbage in the city of Gillett, beginning in January.
The City Council on Thursday selected Harter’s Fox Valley Disposal as its trash collector. Harter’s submitted the low bid for the service now provided by city crews.
City officials have discussed garbage collection alternatives since late 2012, when it projected to be $61,816 in the red for 2013.
The Public Works Committee requested bids from five companies and received proposals from two. The city plans to enter a five-year contract at a cost of $8.35 a month per resident, although the city does not plan to pass along the full cost to residents.
Instead, garbage pickup fees are expected to remain the same for residents, who now purchase stickers for $1.50 each. The annual cost is about $78, which is the cost proposed for 2014.
The method of billing residents has not yet been determined.
The final contract is being reviewed by the city attorney.
“What this is going to do is take some of the pressure off our garbage truck and make it last longer,” Public Works Director Tim Christensen said.
The garbage truck is 12 years old, and it would require a $350,000 investment to purchase a new truck, he said.
“You couple that with the cost of the fuel and the labor to pick up our garbage, and it’s cheaper to go with a contracted source,” Christensen said. “We can’t compete with someone who does it as a business and runs that truck seven days a week.”
Weekly pickup of garbage will continue, although the day of pickup may change from Thursday. With a switch to a private firm, residents will receive a covered, wheeled tote to place at the curb, and stickers will no longer be used.
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.
Christensen said contracted garbage service will free city employees to work on infrastructure improvements. The city devotes a half-day a week to collecting garbage, using a three-person team. The change will also allow an employee shared between the Public Works and Utilities departments to devote more time to Utilities, he said.
In addition, the city might hire only one part-time worker next summer instead of two.
The village of Pulaski also contracts with Harter’s Fox Valley Disposal and supplied favorable references for the company, Christensen said.
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