During the Ostrander City Council meeting on July 5, one of the main topics was the city’s agreement with LRS (formerly Sunshine Sanitation) for garbage and recycling services to the residents of Ostrander. A representative (David) from LRS addressed the council, acknowledging some of the concerns that citizens voiced early on after the company began serving Ostrander, saying, “I think everything is going a lot smoother now, but there was a few hiccups.”
David noted that one of the main concerns he’s heard is about the pricing. He said, “We are going to offer bag service… going forward, which is a considerably cheaper option. So they can buy the bags for roughly four dollars.” He showed an example of the orange bags, and said it will likely be large enough for many elderly citizens or others who don’t generate much garbage. Wendy Brincks said the exact cost is $3.84 per orange bag.
Brincks asked what will happen if bags are set out for pickup, but then get torn open by animals, before the garbage is collected. David said that type of thing is fairly common, and the crews are instructed to “do the right thing” by picking up the mess, within reason.
Dan Hellerud said he found out that if a citizen pays ahead for 12 months of service at a time, LRS gives that customer a 13th month free. Hellerud pointed out that this equates to a discount of roughly 8-9%, so this is an option citizens may wish to consider. He also stressed that because of rising costs everywhere, it’s not a fair comparison to compare the current LRS rates to the rates from Waste Management when that contract was made five years ago. LRS also offers an “every other week” option, as a savings method for interested households that meet the guidelines.
Regarding the planned installation of water meters in all homes in Ostrander, Brincks shared a reminder to citizens, saying, “So, your water meters, you guys all got that wonderful letter in your water bill. It’s important to make that phone call… If you don’t, the week before, we are going to politely disconnect water services to those residents that have not taken the time to reach out. And I promise we’ll put every effort in, to get ahold of every resident prior to. If you don’t schedule it, we will disconnect your services so that you do get scheduled.” Brincks added that the installation of water meters is expected to occur on August 5, 6, 12, and 13.
Kim McKenzie was on hand to address the council. Wendy Brincks informed the council, “She’s here because she was part of the yard notice complaints back in November. At the June council meeting, you guys reissued all notices a second time. She’s here to talk about their notice.” McKenzie asked if the council could grant an extension, explaining that the majority of the items have already been removed, but she said a little more time is needed. The council voted to grant an extension to the date of the council’s meeting in August.
The council discussed increasing reports of unregistered or feral cats in Ostrander. There will be traps set, and the city will attempt to relocate any captured cats to nearby farms or rural properties interested in having cats for rodent control purposes. Otherwise, the cats will be euthanized.
The council’s next regular meeting will be Thursday, August 4 at 6:30 p.m., in the community center. The public is welcome at all meetings, other than special closed meetings.
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