DEARBORN, Mo. — Residents of Dearborn, Mo. will start paying for standardized trash service in January. And any concerns will wait to be heard until then, as well. A pair of citizens showed up to the Dearborn Board of Aldermen meeting held Monday, Dec. 14, but with the mayor unable to attend due to illness, the proceedings were cut short, and no public comments were taken. The board could not have taken any action due to a lack of quorum and chose to bypass that portion of the meeting.
Public comment could be made at next month’s meeting, but the change goes into effect on Jan. 1, 2016.
The board recently approved a contract with Redgate Disposal of Edgerton, Mo. to supply trash service to all residents inside the city limit. Citizens were notified of the change with a recent letter, noting a charge of $14.38 per month along with a 50 cent administrative fee that will be added to the monthly water bill.
The administrative fee is designed to allow the city to retain funds while collecting unpaid bills.
Previously, individual citizens were allowed to contract with any of the companies licensed to haul in Dearborn, but the board chose to explore standardized trash service to cut down on wear and tear to alleyways and reduce trash truck traffic. The city chose Redgate after receiving and reviewing three bids.
The process took more than a year, and no citizens showed up at any of the board meetings to offer concerns prior to the selection of Redgate, which will collect on Fridays, except when a holiday pushes the schedule back. The first day of pickup in Dearborn will be Saturday, Jan. 2.
Citizens will be asked to put trash out front rather than in the alleyway, outside of special circumstances, and residential dumpsters have been eliminated.
In addition to base service of up to eight 30-gallon bags, Redgate will provide the twice annual city-wide cleanup days at no extra cost, along with pickup of one bulky item per week free of charge. Residents must notify Redgate of bulky item pickup in case the regular truck cannot handle the size of some items.
Construction material and green yard waste will not be accepted.
Questions were expected at this week’s board meeting, but without mayor Jamie Morey in attendance, Ward II alderman Bob Bryan served as acting mayor. The board continues to operate with just three members following the death of Ward II alderman Steve Buckler in November of 2014. His spot went unfilled in this past April’s general municipal election.
With Bryan serving as mayor, he could only cast a vote for action in the event of a tie. That left Ward I aldermen Louis Buntin and Don Kerns as the only voting members present, not enough according to state mandate to take action.
The Dearborn Board of Aldermen will be scheduled to meet again Monday, Jan. 11.