Undecided who will pay increases
The City of Landrum approved a new sanitation contract with GDS that includes slight increases in fees.
Council approved a five-year contract with the haulers during a meeting held Tuesday, March 8. The new contract will begin in July.
The fees per resident went up 86 cents per month, while fees for commercial customers with roll-outs increased $2.56 per month. Other increases vary for commercial customers, depending on dumpsters and whether those dumpsters are rented.
Landrum City Administrator Steve Wolochowicz said although the increases aren’t significant, the contract for the city will be increasing $16,682 per year. Council has not yet decided who will pay for the increases. Residents and businesses could, or the city could decide to absorb some of those costs.
Wolochowicz said Landrum’s garbage rates with GDS are among the lowest in the state for municipalities.
The contract includes the ability for GDS to ask city council to implement increases if diesel fuel prices escalate to $5 or more per gallon, but council will have the final say for such a request. The only built-in increase is based on the annual Consumer Price Index (CPI).
Residential customers currently pay $8 per month for city garbage pick-up.