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LISBON -- The single hauler idea for trash collection in Lisbon was batted about Tuesday night, with a Lisbon resident and the owner of Diamondback Disposal both speaking out against the end of competition.
"I don't think it's in your best interest," Diamondback Disposal owner Mark Frederick told village council.
Under a single hauler trash program, the village would take bids and choose one trash company to pick up trash for all residents for a set price for each instead of residents choosing their own.
Frederick owns property in Lisbon and said competition is good. He wouldn't name the hauler, but said in the last couple of years, another trash hauler has been going to different communities trying to get them to go to a single hauler program.
He claimed the company has been successful in two other places and claimed the bid is written by the company.
Frederick urged the village to take a hard look at this. He said there may be some money saved, but said absolutely not when it comes to better service. He said residents would be upset. He suggested reaching out to other garbage haulers to ask questions and to make sure the bid is fairly written.
Lisbon resident Daniel Strabala said with a single hauler there will be fewer trucks and quieter streets, but forcing every resident onto one provider could be a bigger problem. That would be a loss of choice for residents. He questioned what is the actual projected cost and how long will the contract be.
"The safer plan is to keep competition in place," he said.
Mayor Peter Wilson raised the idea of a single hauler program during the last council meeting, reporting to council he received a complaint that the road on Sunset was deteriorating from the garbage trucks, claiming there's five different trash collectors coming through Lisbon and that's hard on the streets.
He told council members they're always wanting to save money and this would be a way to save money for the village and the residents.
At that meeting last month, Councilwoman Melissa Hiner, who serves as council president, said they've already gone through this a number of times and suggested taking a vote on whether to look into it. The vote was tied 3-3, with the mayor casting the deciding vote in favor of exploring the idea. Hiner, Councilman Jerry Cox and Councilwoman Linda Donnalley all voted no. Councilmen Joe Morenz and Zachary Smith and Councilwoman Susan Temple all voted yes.
During this week's meeting, Wilson said electric aggregation programs have opt-out clauses so he was looking to see if any single hauler programs have that. He learned that Hudson has a preferred hauler program, requesting proposals for the best rate and best service, noting their hauler can take grass clippings and yard waste and customers can set out a bulk items once a week.
Wilson said there's competition due to the bidding process and the low bidder becomes the preferred hauler, with residents able to opt out.
Hiner noted that if there wouldn't be at least 60% of the households signed up for the preferred hauler, it wouldn't work.
Wilson said with residents he talked to, some were for the idea and some were not. He said the village would write the bid proposal and what's required of a hauler, such as a discount for senior citizens. If the hauler didn't follow the requirements, it would be a breach of contract.
In Hudson, he claimed the cost is $75 per quarter and in 10 years, that's only gone up $2, so it is saving residents money.
A man stood up and was saying stuff to the Diamondback representative and was refusing to give his name or sit down, but was quieted by the mayor and council members.
Frederick questioned the goal of the single hauler program. The answer was saving residents money, saving the streets and having trash bins out just once a week instead of every day. Wilson said it looks trashy with trash bins out every day of the week and said the village wants to attract companies to town. He said Lisbon's beautiful, but a woman in the audience piped up and said the town looks trashy for more reasons than the trash bins.
"Put your glasses on Peter, Lisbon's not beautiful," she said.
Frederick pointed out if the village does a preferred hauler program, that's not eliminating the trash trucks.
Temple said what would help is if people took their trash cans back after the trash is picked up instead of leaving them out by the curb 24/7.
Nothing was decided regarding a single hauler or preferred hauler program.
The next meeting of village council will be 6:30 p.m. Sept. 22.