NATCHEZ, Miss. (March 19) – The mayor and aldermen today openly disclosed details of trash-collection proposals they acknowledged should not have been discussed Monday behind closed doors and withheld from the public.
Natchez’ current trash collector has the lowest prices of four companies competing for the city contract, but more negotiations and propositions can take place as city officials strive to get the best garbage-collection-and-disposal services for city residents, said Mayor Dan Gibson.
In addition to the three-times-a-week pickup services Natchez residents have been getting for their household garbage and recyclables, Gibson said he and aldermen are weighing the costs of a special collection of bulky trash, such as furniture, appliances and landscape debris.
The city’s current trash-collection contract with Arrow Disposal Service expires in May. The Alabama-based company since 2018 has been providing Natchez households three-times-a-week curbside trash collection services, which includes one pickup for recyclables. Each household gets two large wheeled garbage containers to separate the disposables and recyclables.
To continue this service with new carts, Arrow is proposing to charge Natchez $1.48 million a year for trash collection and $1.71 million for trash collection and disposal, based on serving about 5,600 households, according to the cost analysis city officials provided to the public today. Gibson said this is a smaller increase than he expected. The city is currently paying an estimated $1.68 million annually for garbage collection and disposal.
City residents now pay a $24.15-a-month garbage collection fee per household. The fee, which also includes a surcharge for the city’s mosquito-control efforts, is attached to the monthly bill from the Natchez Water Works for water and sewage services.
Arrow’s garbage-collection bid is lower than the submissions from Waste Pro, Hometown Waste and WM (formerly Waste Management).
The mayor and aldermen appeared to favor Arrow’s proposal Monday and met behind closed doors with company executive Jimmie Moore. However, Gibson encouraged the competing companies today to try to best what Arrow has proposed.
Arrow currently hauls Natchez garbage to WM’s south Adams County landfill.
The mayor said he hopes a garbage deal can be finalized and approved by the Board of Aldermen next week, when it’s scheduled to meet on Tuesday.
Today’s gathering of the mayor and aldermen was hastily called for them to make amends for the improperly held meeting they had Monday, when they closed the public out of discussions about the four garbage companies’ bids.
The closed-door session went against a 2018 order from the Mississippi Ethics Commission, which directed then-Mayor Darryl Grennell and Natchez aldermen to refrain from further violations of the law that requires government boards to convene in public. City officials then – which includes four aldermen still serving – violated the open meetings law, according to the commission, by discussing garbage proposals behind closed doors prior to selecting Arrow Disposal Service six years ago.
Gibson said he and aldermen reconvened today “in the spirit of openness…where we can have a fresh start” and be “completely transparent” as they do “what is best for our citizens” in selecting their garbage contractor.
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