Millersburg renews trash hauler contract
Millersburg council locked in trash collection rates for two more years Monday, Feb. 25.Council decided to renew a contract with Kimble that locks in rates originally proposed in a three-year contract from 2010. Residential customers will continue to pay about $35 per quarter.The original contract with Kimble came out of a competitive bidding process that locked the low bidder into a contract for three years. Council then reserved the right to pick up the contract for two years at the same rate at the end of the three-year period.The original bid was for $10.27 per month, or $30.71 per quarter. The rate has gone up due to a multiplier charge that kicks in when gas is more than $2.89 a gallon.Prior to accepting the contracts, the village solicited input from residents regarding Kimbles performance. Residents responded favorably for the most part, submitting 18 positive comments and three negative. Some of the positive comments contained suggestions, such as that by a Jackson Street resident. Kimble is doing a fine job, the resident writes, but asks that pick up on state Route 39 through the village be conducted during daylight hours. The resident writes that cars passing the trucks in the predawn hours pose a safety hazard to oncoming traffic.The most outspoken complaint is by a North Washington Street resident, who said Kimble fails to pick up his trash every third Friday on average.Mayor Jeff Huebner said Kimble appears to be doing a good job while saving residents money.I believe it is a savings. When I look back before we locked in, I was paying more than $40 a quarter, Huebner said. My personal opinion is rates would be higher today if we had not bid the process out (village wide).In other business, Village Administrator Nate Troyer said streetlights and signals will be fitted with LED lights as time and weather permits. Troyer said contractor Millersburg Electric will begin installing the LED lights in all three intersections on state Route 39 as their schedule permits, with the changeover expected to take anywhere from three to six hours of work.The work will be carried out during daylight hours during off-peak traffic times, Troyer said, and two lanes of traffic will be maintained at all times.The villages Victorian lights will probably be removed and fitted with LED sockets in a shop.(The Victorian lights) may be going away for a while, Troyer said. It will probably be easier to take them down. You have to take out the whole ballast and wire the socket to the power source.The LED lighting is expected to save the village money as they use less power and have a longer life than other bulbs.
