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Editorials
Two paths to the same destination : Editorials : Oswego Ledger-Sentinel : Hometown Newspaper for Oswego and Montgomery, IllinoisTwo paths to the same destination
| 5/31/2012
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Over the past few months both the Oswego and Montgomery village boards have awarded new five-year contracts for solid waste hauling services for their residents.
In Oswego, village residents will begin paying less per month for their garbage service effective July 1 when a new firm, Groot, Inc., takes over the service from the village's current vendor, Republic Services. The village board managed to secure the lower monthly rate by seeking competitive bids for the new contract-something a prior board did not do.
Meanwhile, in Montgomery, the village board accepted a recommendation from village staff last year not to seek competitive bids for their garbage contract and negotiated a new contract with Allied Waste. In November the village board approved a new contract with Allied Waste that included a rate hike for residents. Effective March 1, Montgomery residents began paying $1.30 more per month for their garbage service. But Montgomery's monthly rate of $16.80 is still less than the $17.25 per month rate Oswego residents will pay starting July 1 under the village's new contract with Groot.
Residents in both villages will see very modest increases in their monthly rates on an annual basis over the five-year lives of the respective contracts. By the fifth year of each pact, Montgomery residents will be paying $19.65 per month and Oswego residents will be paying $20.97.
However, Oswego residents will continue to be able to put out as much garbage each week as they want without having to purchase stickers, while in Montgomery residents are limited to putting out up to two trash cans or bags each week not exceeding 50 pounds each. If they want to put out more trash, Montgomery residents have to purchase stickers priced at $2.50 and increased to $2.90 by the end of the contract. Oswego residents will only have to purchase stickers for yard waste bags and under the new contract the cost for those stickers will be cut from $2.49 to $1.
What does it all mean? Well, despite the distinctly different approaches the two village boards took towards approving the new contracts, residents of the two villages will end up paying roughly the same amount for their garbage service over the next five years, depending upon their individual disposal habits. We hope officials in both communities also actively encourage residents to recycle as much garbage as possible.
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