Residents in Weston may soon be paying more for trash pickup due to changes in the demand for recyclable materials.
Terry Peterson, owner of Redgate Disposal of Edgerton, spoke last week to the board of aldermen about the cost of disposing of Weston’s recycling. At the Monday, Dec. 10 meeting, Peterson said China has stopped accepting most recycling materials from the United States. When the city entered into its trash hauling contract with Redgate several years ago, recycling was offered as a free service because Peterson was able to sell the recyclables to a plant in St. Joseph. Now, the situation has changed.
“I’ve been taking a bath on the recycling,” Peterson said. “For about 18 months I’ve eaten it because I thought it would be a temporary thing.”
He said he now has to drive to Harrisonville, Mo. and pay $18 per ton to dispose of the city’s recycling. Weston generates about six tons of recyclable materials per month.
City clerk Kim Kirby said the city would review the contract, but said she didn’t think anyone expected Redgate to cover the costs of recycling in Weston.
Also at the meeting, Weston resident Sue Phillips spoke out about the recent discussions over creating a position for a city administrator. At a special meeting last month, the board of aldermen fired and then rehired a consultant who had been contracted to conduct a search for a city administrator. Instead of moving ahead with a candidate search, the board ordered the consultant to conduct an internal efficiency audit.
Phillips, who serves on the city’s planning and zoning commission, urged the board to either look into hiring an administrator or to consider extending the terms of elected officials. She said the city’s institutional memory is held by a few department heads who may retire soon, which would leave the city in the lurch.
“I just think we’re going to be in a world of hurt when we lose these people,” Phillips said.
Mayor Cliff Harvey said the city plans to host a public meeting next month to discuss the city administrator position again. The city has flirted with the idea of hiring a city administrator for several years.
The board held a special meeting Tuesday, Dec. 18 to discuss the 2019 city budget and the upcoming development of the Orchid Hill subdivision.