New monthly rates
for refuse and recycling collection in the Town of Chesterton will go into
effect on Jan. 1, 2021.
At its meeting
Monday night, the Town Council unanimously approved an ordinance which sets
the rates for trash pickup for the next three years. Those rates reflect the
bid of Republic Services, the only firm to submit a bid for a one-year
contract, with options to renew for a second and third year:
-- 2021: $18.50 per
month.
-- 2022 (optional):
$19.24 per month.
-- 2023 (optional):
$19.98 per month.
In addition to the
monthly refuse and recycling fee, residents will also pay a monthly brush
collection fee of $2. That means that the total monthly fee for refuse,
recycling, and brush in 2021 will be $20.50; in 2022 (optional), $21.24; and
in 2023 (optional), $21.98.
Street Commissioner
John Schnadenberg told the council at its last meeting that two other waste
management firms declined to submit bids because they weren't interested in
a one-year firm contract with optional extensions in the second and third
year.
At a public hearing
prior to the vote, no one spoke in favor of the new rates and no one in
opposition. Monday's virtual meeting was live-streamed on Facebook, which
has the capability of taking comments from the public.