Demopolis residents may face garbage fee hike, reduced pickup

Advance Disposal is seeking to increase garbage rates and/or reduce pickup to one day per week as part of its proposed contract with the City of Demopolis.

The current contract expires Dec. 31.

The city council tabled any action on the proposed contract at its Monday meeting, in part to clarify various legal points. During the discussion, Mayor Mike Grayson also noted that the current garbage billing and fee collection system needs to be revised. He noted that the city is named in the contract with Advance and sets the rates, but the water department bills for garbage services and collects payment.

“The city doesn’t know who’s paid and who has not,” Grayson said. “Either the city needs to do it all or the water board needs to do it all.”

The mayor did note that the city would not relinquish the right to set garbage rates.

Grayson reported that the street resurfacing project appears to have come in well under budget. The preliminary total is $724,217, while the original bid was just over $997,000. The mayor said a couple of items need to be clarified before a final total is known.

In other matters, the council:

• Nominated Alex Braswell, Mary Jo Martin, Thomas Moore and Joyce Weiss to fill two vacancies on the hospital board. The council will select two of those four at its next meeting.
• Re-appointed Mark Dollar and Ann Hunter to the Board of Adjustments, and moved Sylvia Malone from alternate to board member.
• Re-appointed Kitty Eddins and Angenell Jones to the Cemetery Board, re-appointed Deborah Mitchell to the Library Board and tabled a Parks and Recreation Board appointment.
• Moved the deadline for requesting a city council meeting agenda change – including requests to appear before the council – to noon on Monday before each Thursday council meeting.
• Set a work session for 5:15 p.m. on Sept. 24  to discuss the Fiscal Year 2014-15 budget.
• Declared the Rosenbush Building warehouse as surplus. Grayson emphasized that the building in question is the warehouse, not the Rosenbush Museum Building that fronts Walnut.
• Approved the rezoning of 1106 Bailey Drive to allow for personal storage and storage buildings.
• Discussed reducing the liability coverage requirement for catering on city property from $1 million to possibly $250,000 or $500,000. The council tabled the matter until it can determine what level of coverage other comparable cities require.