Residents will soon pay a little more for curbside refuse and recycling collection, but not as much as they could have been.
The Munster Town Council approved a fifth-year option April 3 with Waste Management Inc. to continue collection services. The original contract called for a 3 percent increase in year five of the contract, but town officials re-negotiated a 1 percent increase.
Rather than pay $15.34 per month, residents will pay slightly less — at $15.03 per month — beginning May 1. Year one of the contract in 2013 had residents paying $13.50 per month, as the price has now risen by $1.53 going into the fifth year of the contract, or $18.36 per year.
Town Manager Dustin Anderson said Waste Management hoped to keep Munster as a customer and was amenable to a lower rate, adding that the company has provided satisfactory services over the past four years.
“We’ve had excellent service, no complaints,” Town Council President Joe Simonetto said.
Waste Management provided a contract extension proposal into a ninth year that, by then, will see the collection fee raised to $16.91 per household.
In other Public Works related action, the council approved the purchase of a wood chipper, three John Deer Z-Track commercial lawnmowers and two dump trucks with snow plows and salt spreaders.
The town also entered into a contract not to exceed $21,105 with SEH, an engineering firm hired to inspect and assess the condition of sidewalks throughout town. Anderson noted that $125,000 has been allocated toward sidewalk repair and installation during 2017.
“We’re going to take a deeper dive into the condition of our sidewalks and get a baseline of good data,” he said, noting that summer interns for SEH will walk the entire town.
Jim Masters is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.