Friday, October 9, 2009

Trash Contract

There are a few addresses in town where accounts for trash service are 90 days delinquent, or more. Letters have recently gone out again to remedy the situations on the accounts, and this is a good time to revisit the trash contract for those who might have moved into the Village or are otherwise unaware of the services that are provided.

Here are some of the issues that were resolved by instituting a trash contract and junk abatement ordinance:

~ multiple service providers were causing inordinate wear and tear on the roads, especially on Owner's Drive that does not have an adequate base built into it.

~ multiple providers also meant that there were refuse vehicles coming through the Village almost every day of the week, and there were always houses with trash sitting out front waiting to be picked up.

~ without mandatory refuse service, several houses in town were accumulating so much refuse build-up that the health department had to intervene on several occasions.

~ instead of paying for bulk item pickup, people were tossing mattresses and recliners into drainage areas despite the fact that the Village also had dumpster days to assist residents with removing these items.

~ the cost of recycling was prohibitive for most carriers, so most recycling was added to the trash content. It just wasn't worth sending a separate vehicle out here for a few customers.

In hopes to alleviate some of these problems, the Village bidded out the refuse hauling services and the contract was awarded to Rumpke. Overall, we have been very pleased with the services and the advantages we have gained with having the contract in place.

~ Road deterioration has decelerated.

~ Hauling is completed in a timely manner and with a predictable schedule.

~ One bulk item per month is allowable for each household (Rumpke requests that notice is given if the item will require two people to lift it) and we have one service week out of the year where we can place more bulk items out on the curb for pickup, but with the cooperation of the refuse service, there is barely a need for it anymore.

~ The recycling program has been very effective and we'll update with new statistics when they come through.

~ The Village saves $1600/year that was previously being spent on Dumpster Days for bulk removal.

~ Residents have choices between bulk rate pickup and bag rates for minimal refuse hauling that can be tailored to their usage and their vacations away from the Village. The vast majority of residents with bulk pickup had immediate initial savings over their standard service provider with the rates that were awarded in the contract.

~ The residents realized huge savings when the fuel bills shot up as a result of high fuel costs the past couple of years. Customers in the county without contracts saw hikes of upwards to $20 per quarter for fuel surcharges that were not assessed to our residents per the contract.

~ The model of the contract has been so successful that other Clark County cities and villages are pursuing their own contracts.

The trash contract has single-handedly been the most significant improvement in the last 10-15 years to keeping the Village clean. There is far less debris and the Village also saves money not having to contract for waste removal from the drainage areas. The roads are receiving far less wear and tear and Village residents are not burdened with multiple trucks coming at odd hours of the day and night to haul away the refuse.

In order to receive maximum cost savings and advantages, and to prevent refuse accumulation, we had to sign up with mandatory participation. So all active addresses are required to have either the bag or bulk service. Rumpke takes care of the billing, but when the bill has not been paid and falls over 90 days past due, then the amount is remitted by the Village to cover the services. The fees are then requested from the owners/occupants, and if not paid by a certain date, will then be assessed to the real estate taxes along with an administrative fee. Amounts that are less than 90 days past due are still payable to Rumpke along with corresponding late fees.

If you have any questions or concerns about the contract, please contact the Village at 937-969-8281.

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