St. Martin Parish Government has its hands full dealing with irate calls and misunderstandings about the pending trash collection changes.
At the Parish Council’s committee meetings, held this month at the Catahoula Multi-purpose center last week, Parish President Chester Cedars and council members took steps to lay some of the issues to rest.
The reasons for the contract change have been the subject of controversy. Council members report that they have been accused of playing politics in the selection. Council member Lisa Nelson said, “I have gotten some really ugly calls. I want to make it perfectly clear, this decision was made carefully and with nothing but the best interests of parish residents in mind.”
Cedars explained that when he came into office and examined parish financial records, he was shocked to discover a shortfall in trash collection charges of more than $300,000 annually. Those uncollected charges were being paid with taxpayer money from the general fund account.
The shortfall was due to the billing system for the garbage collection service. Because the parish did not have its own billing system, an arrangement was made with the nine rural water systems in the parish to add trash pickup fees to water bills.
Also, the recycling services under the expiring Waste Management contract were not working. Since 2012, a parish ordinance has required that recycling be included in waste collection contracts.
Customers were being billed for recycling but they were given recycling bins only if they requested them, which many never did. Cedars wanted an improved program that encourages recycling and administers it in a fair way to all residents.
Attempts to address those issues in contract renewal meetings with Waste Management were not successful, and Cedars decided to issue a request for proposals with stipulations that would remedy the problems. Waste Management was one of five companies to submit proposals. Their new bid was higher than the expiring contract’s $17.68 per month. It would have resulted in a slightly lower monthly fee than Pelican, about one dollar less.
Council members Pelican’s bid because its offer included 64-gallon, wheeled recycle carts rather than 18-gallon bins that had to be carried to the curb.
If recycling levels do not justify the program, the contract allows the parish to opt out. To do so would require an amending the aforementioned 2012 ordinance.
If that happens, bills will be reduced by $2.98 per month.
No curb side recycling is available in Lower St. Martin parish.
Also, the twice-monthly bulk pickup provided by Pelican is easier for customers, since they will no longer be expected to bundle debris or cut branches, etc., into four foot lengths.
Some customers have received their first bill from Pelican and that has caused misunderstandings as well. Some have mistakenly thought that the $63.60 amount is for one month. But Pelican will bill customers quarterly at $21.20 per month.
Trash collection fees will no longer appear on water bills, so those bills will be lower.
Cedars and council members pushed back at the suggestion that the process has not been
aired publicly. Cedars said, “We hired a third-party consultant, discussed this at every meeting for the past four months, advertised in the newspaper and other media and did everything we could to ensure the fairness and transparency of this process.”
As to the basic reasons for the change in the first place, Cedars responded, “We have 1.7 million reasons. That’s how much the old system has cost taxpayers over the term of the last contract.”
The savings will be put to good use. Among other things, it will pay for a hazardous waste disposal program. Hazardous chemicals will be collected at drop-off events to be held at least twice yearly. The schedule has yet to be established.
