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The West Lebanon Township Board of Commissioners approved a new three-year trash and recycling contract with Casella Waste Systems during the May 4 meeting.
Weekly trash and biweekly recycling services will start at $86.58 per dwelling unit during the first year. This will increase to $90.90 for the contract’s second year and then $95.46 for the third.
Casella’s bid was the lowest of the three submitted. Good’s Disposal Service’s bid was $90 per quarter for the first year, $95 per quarter for the second, and $100 per quarter for the third. Senior citizens and military personnel would have received a discounted rate of $75 per quarter, increasing by $5 each year of the contract.
Waste in Time’s bid showed $105 per quarter, with a senior rate of $90. They only provided a one-year offer.
Township residents are now paying $84 per quarter, and there is a military and senior rate of $78 per quarter, so rates will be increasing slightly starting July 1.
Commissioners asked about considering the senior and military rate, but solicitor Paul Bametzreider reviewed the bid information and said it didn’t include a requirement to offer the discounts.
“Most of our residents are seniors, so for seniors it’s cheaper if you go that route,” commissioner Michelle Testerman said.
Jonas Kreitzer with Casella attended the meeting and said they have a senior rate, but they didn’t know to include it in the bid.
“[The senior rate] varies from community,” Kreitzer said. “I’m not exactly sure what that rate would be.”
He also said the company is flexible on pick-up days depending on what the township wants. The bid packet stated that companies should have a pick-up day of Tuesday or Wednesday for the township’s residents.
In other business, commissioners:
Adopted a resolution updating the employee handbook regarding overtime. The update will change the handbook from granting overtime pay when an employee surpasses 8 hours per day to when they work more than 40 hours in a week.
Adopted a resolution appointing Chele Gibble and alternate Janelle Groh onto the Tax Collection Committee, effective May 4 until Dec. 31.
West Lebanon Township will meet next on June 1 at 7 p.m. at the municipal building at 322 N. 22nd St., Lebanon. Meetings are also streamed on Zoom and can be accessed through a link posted to the website before the meeting.
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