Columbia’s garbage pickup contractor has added a new truck to make service more reliable and hired an on-site mechanic.
At the same time, city leaders are considering a roughly $3 increase to its $10-per-month price, which Mayor Justin McKenzie said would get it to a break-even point.
Chris Lockwood of Waste Pro updated the Board of Aldermen Aug. 1 after McKenzie reached out with some concerns.
Lockwood, the division manager of the Hattiesburg office of Waste Pro, said new garbage carts would also be available for new customers and as replacements for ones that have been damaged. The firm also donated the use of a roll-off dumpster for Saturday’s Operation Clean Sweep.
The Board is also studying garbage rates and looking at a possible increase.
“Right now, we’re losing $6,000 to $7,000 per month,” McKenzie said. “We’ve been calling other municipalities to see what their rates are.”
The city contracts with Waste Pro to provide service for a certain number of customers, but the city currently has less customers than that number. That means taxpayers are on the hook for the difference in the amount billed by Waste Pro and the amount paid by customers.
McKenzie said that preliminary indications are that a $3 increase would move the garbage to a break-even point.
City Attorney Lawrence Hahn said the rates are set by ordinance and that he would have to draft an amended ordinance to reflect any increase.
“We need to study this,” Alderman Mike Smith said.
McKenzie said the Board would discuss the rates at a future meeting.
