Company prepares proposal for private trash service

BONNE TERRE – IESI will be preparing a proposal for the city of Bonne Terre so the council can consider privatizing trash service.

During the Bonne Terre City Council meeting Monday night, Al Heinermann, a marketing manager with IESI, asked the city to consider going private with solid waste collection.

He believes IESI would save the city money while also not raising residents’ rates.

Residents would be provided with a 96-gallon trash cart and an 18-gallon recycling cart. It’s up to residents if they want to switch the carts so the larger one is for recycling. When a holiday falls during the week, trash will be picked up the following day.

IESI provides trash services to cities like Festus, Pacific, Terre Du Lac, Union and St. Clair. He said a lot of cities are getting out of the trash business.

The council gave IESI the go-ahead to prepare figures for the September council meeting. The city’s new budget year begins Oct. 1.

When Councilman Shawn Kay asked if the city needed to advertise for bids from other companies, City Administrator Larry Barton said they asked for proposals last year and IESI is the only one who responded.

“We can, we don’t have to,” he said.

When another council member asked if this would cause any employees to lose their jobs, Barton said no.

IESI would keep the trash from being double-hauled. Instead of going to Desloge first, the trash will go directly to Richwoods.

Also during the meeting, the council decided to put off approving a new policy for utility services outside city limits.

The proposed ordinance would have stopped the city from offering city utilities such as water, sewer and trash, to properties outside city limits.

However, the properties outside the city limits that already have these services would remain on the system. If the property changes ownership, the existing water and sewer systems would remain but trash would not be offered.

Sewer services outside the city limits not being used or not in service for whatever reason would not be connected to the city sewer after the passage of this ordinance. Any sewer that requires a pumping station would have to be approved by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources and the city’s code enforcement officer.

Barton asked the council to put off discussion and/or approval of this ordinance until September for more time.

Developer Randy Hubbard was also on the agenda to ask about utility availability for property he plans to purchase outside the city limits near a pump station on Route K. The current owner has an arrangement with the city for sewer service. Barton told Hubbard that Hubbard would have a similar agreement as long as the planned duplex didn’t overtax the existing system.

During council member reports, Councilman Ron Elders said there are some drainage ditches that are growing up with brush and trees. He said this could cause flooding problems if not taken care of.

It was announced that the city has begun using inmate workers as street laborers. Barton said they have five workers that started a week ago.

“I think we will have better luck than we had with them last time,” Barton said.

The city is working to hire a senior center director to replace Karah Cain who resigned a couple weeks ago to take a job in her career field.

The city is also in the process of hiring an assistant library director. Tina Johnston has been named library director after Doris Smither retired last month.

Barton said the radionuclide engineering study is on schedule to be completed in a week.

He said the city, DNR and EPA will have to sign off on the report before construction can begin in November. Barton said right not it looks like in the worst case scenario, they’d have to build a third well in the park, with total construction costing $2 million. Maintenance of the water system related to radionuclides would be about $100,000 a year.

In other matters, Rug’s Bar and Grill was given a special use liquor license for a bike show/benefit for Camp Hope from noon to 10 p.m. Sept. 8.

Even though the room was almost packed, no one spoke when it was time for public comments or concerns.

Teresa Ressel is a reporter for the Daily Journal and can be reached at 573-431-2010, ext. 179 or at tressel@dailyjournalonline.com.