In a 5 to 3 vote, Macon-Bibb commissioners approved transferring garbage services to a private company, raising residents garbage fees to $20 per month.
The approved solid waste department’s plan puts private company Advanced Disposal in charge of handling all garbage collection throughout Macon-Bibb.
This switch leaves current solid waste employees to focus only on recycling, collecting yard waste materials, and reporting illegal dumping.
Former city residents will face a $5 increase per month, and those in the former unincorporated area will see a $7.25 increase.
Even though both Solid Waste Department Director Kevin Barkley and Mayor Robert Reichert promise that current solid waste employees will not lose their jobs, Commissioner Bert Bivins says a promise isn’t enough.
Commissioner Bivins says, “Why is it that we can’t just reverse the roles and let our people pick up the garbage and let the other people do all the other stuff? I think that there’s been a decision made by somebody in the past that we’re going to give all of this work to the contractors, and I think that’s what we’re upholding.”
Bivins presented a motion to switch the roles during commission, but it failed after only having the support of Commissioner Elaine Lucas.