DEARBORN, Mo. — In the end, the City of Dearborn went with the local bidder for trash service. Now, all that remains in the lengthy process is finishing up a contract with the new provider. During its regular session Monday, Aug. 10, the Dearborn Board of Aldermen approved an ordinance to allow for negotiations with Redgate Disposal of Edgerton, Mo. Redgate will soon be responsible for all of Dearborn’s trash services, ending a more-than-year-long effort to standardize trash service in the city. The board plans to enter into a three-year contract for standardized trash service.
The city plans to bill citizens, likely added to the monthly water bill, but that process will be finalized at the September and possibly October meetings. A pickup day will also be selected.
The city received three bids from contractors, and Redgate actually came in with the highest base bid at $14.38 per month. However, the company also offered twice annual city-wide cleanup days at no extra charge, along with one bulky item per week that can be left curbside along with the regular eight 30-gallon-bag limit without the need to schedule the pickup or pay an additional cost.
The combination of services and choosing a local company factored into the board’s decision to select Redgate as its trash service provider during its regular July meeting, according to Ward II alderman Bob Bryan.
Redgate Disposal currently serves Smithville, Edgerton, Lawson, Platte City, Kearney, Liberty, Holt, Lathrop, Plattsburg, Gower, Dearborn, Camden Point, Faucett and south St. Joseph areas, according to the company’s Facebook page. Terry and Cheryl Petersen have operated Redgate for the past nine plus years while living in Edgerton.
Deffenbaugh Industries of Shawnee, Kan. and All About Trash of Platte City were the other two bidders.
A topic first discussed a few years back, city officials were becoming more and more concerned with the amount of trash trucks in the city and their effect on streets and alleys. Currently, four different companies are licensed to haul in Dearborn.
In more old business, the board also readdressed the perceived feral cat problem in town.
Officials discussed various options to try and limit the population in town, including city ordinances on amount of animals allowed on a property or licensing fees to better track them. The issue came up earlier this year, and initially, the city discussed various catch-and-release and euthanization programs.
Those were bypassed due to cost and man power associated with them.
No action was taken, but legal counsel planned to look into cities with cat ordinances to provide aldermen with options.
In new business, Steve Peek addressed the board about a continued problem in the backyard of his residence at 403 Main St. He claims that a few years back Platte-Clay Electric Co-op ran an electrical line through his property that apparently bisected a natural spring. Soon after, he began to experience pockets of water buildup.
In the years since, the problem has worsened, and Bryan recently took pictures that showed a backyard that looked more like a marsh or swamp. Peek said he can barely mow his yard due to the moisture.
Peek said he contacted Platte-Clay when he first noticed the issue, and the company claimed no responsibility. He hopes the board can help him resolve the problem because it now affects four residences on Main, Third and Fourth streets.
“I think it’s their responsibility, and I think we need to contact them on his behalf,” Ward I alderman Louis Buntin said. “And we’ll just see how it goes from there. And if necessary, we have to help out those property owners in some way, and we need to try to do it at Platte-Clay’s expense and not ours.”