By Rick Palsgrove, Southeast Editor
Trash pick-up rates could increase under new contract
Groveport City Council is considering renewing its trash pick-up contract with Local Waste Services, however at a higher price to the 2,300 trash customers in the city.
Local Waste Services and Rumpke bid on the contract with Local Waste Services coming in with the lower bid. Currently customers are paying $41.75 per quarter for trash pick-up. Under the same existing plan, the price with Local Waste Services would rise to $59.40 per quarter. If the city opts to go with a 96 gallon trash cart option the price per quarter would be $56.40, with a 64 gallon cart it would be $53.40, and with a 48 gallon cart it would be $50.40. If a cart option is chosen, residents would receive one trash cart and one recycling cart per household. Residents could rent additional carts for $2 each per month.
If the cart option is chosen, residents could no longer place their trash for pick-up in the city’s alleys because the trash trucks for this option are too big to fit in the alleys. All trash pick-ups would have to be made at front curbside.
Council will discuss the trash contract further at its committee meeting on May 18 at 5:30 p.m. in the municipal building, 655 Blacklick St.
Credit card fees placed on water payments and building and zoning payments
Groveport City Council approved applying a credit card convenience fee to water/sewer payments and to building and zoning department payments effective with the July 1 billings.
According to City Finance Director Jason Carr, the credit card convenience fees to be assessed are structured so the city will not profit from these charges, but cover the cost of transactions caused by fees placed on the city for payments made through credit card companies.
Payments made for water/sewer bills and to the building and zoning department at the department’s windows by credit card will have a convenience fee of 3.75 percent with a $3.95 minimum fee. Website payments for water/sewer bills by credit card will have a convenience fee of 2.8 percent for payments up to $325 with a variable rate of 3.75 percent assessed for credit card payments starting at $325.01.
Cash and check payment options remain unchanged.
