(Posted Feb. 12, 2020)
By Andrew Garrett, Staff Writer
Mount Sterling village council voted on Feb. 11 to enter into a new contract with Rumpke for management of the village’s solid waste. The prior contract with Rumpke had been in effect since Dec. 27, 2010.
Per the new two-year contract, Rumpke will provide weekly solid waste collection and removal (including yard waste and large items) for all single-family and two-family homes, apartments, and condominium households of four units or less. For the first year, households will be billed quarterly in advance. The monthly cost will be $19.59 for unlimited solid waste removal and $3.50 per 95-gallon trash container. In 2021, the monthly solid waste removal fee will go to $19.98; the monthly cost per trash can will remain at $3.50.
Rumpke will continue to provide a 30-cubic yard roll-off container at the village street department garage. It will be serviced on an on-call basis for 12 loads per year at no additional cost. Any additional loads will be invoiced to the village at the rate of $210 per load and $52.50 per ton. The company also will provide waste containers of varying capacities at other sites throughout the village, such as town hall, Mason Park, and the fire department.
Council also passed a resolution authorizing the village of West Jefferson to provide inspection services for building, planning and zoning permits.
Mount Sterling has been without a building and zoning inspector for approximately 60 days. The village had contracted those services with Fayette County since 2013 but opted to use West Jefferson after Fayette County restructured its program and lost two key staff members to retirement, said council member Andrew Drake.
Using West Jefferson’s inspector will be cost effective as it is a “shared service,” meaning no funds will come out of Mount Sterling’s coffers, Drake said. Building permit fees and the like will go to the village of West Jefferson for services rendered. Working with West Jefferson’s inspector is a sensible choice because he already provides his services to multiple municipalities, Drake said.
“(He) covers darn near most of Madison County at this point,” Drake said, adding that through the agreement with West Jefferson, Mount Sterling is gaining the expertise of a nine-person staff it cannot afford at this point.
Drake noted that West Jefferson will be responsible for the inspection process only. Authority over zoning and the constitution of building code will remain under the control of the village of Mt. Sterling. Mount Sterling’s Board of Zoning Appeals and Building Commission remain intact and operational.
