Recycling might have cost for homeowners

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Flandreau residents may have to pay if they recycle, under a proposed agreement for solid waste removal.
The city is putting garbage hauling out to bid and paying for recycling is part of the plan. The bid specifications won’t be voted on until the next city council meeting so they are not finalized.
“I would think it should be a pay as you go if you want to recycle,” said Alderman Brad Bjerke. The city would still accept recyclables at city hall for those who want to drop them off rather than have curbside pickup.
Dale Eng, owner of Eng Services, said he doesn’t know of any other town that charges more to recycle. Eng is the current garbage service, and recycling is picked up twice a month.
Recycling cuts down on other garbage that goes into the landfill. The city might be able to buy the recycling containers for homeowners, said Jeff Pederson, city administrator.
The council also discussed whether garbage still should be collected in alleys, as well as curbside. Several council members said the city should leave it the way it is, which is a combination of both.

Garbage can be picked up between 5 a.m. and 5 p.m.
The bid will be for a three-year contract. Once bids go out, they will be accepted until noon on Nov. 30.
The current contract expires the middle of January, and the city is required to put it out for bid.
In other council business,
•The city wrote off 24 outstanding utility accounts that have proven to be uncollectable. The accounts from 2020 total $9,394.45. The amount is a quarter of a percent of all billing.
“Our charge offs are pretty low,” said Karen Gundvaldson, city finance officer.
Most accounts are from tenants who moved without leaving a forwarding address and bills were undeliverable, she said. If those with unpaid bills move back to Flandreau, they still have to pay the outstanding bill. “If they come back, we will still collect it,” she said.
•The city needs to update its utility billing software, Pederson said.  It is not compatible with the smart meters and has to be entered by hand. The software is about 15 years old.
•The fire station cannot be put out to bid until its loan is approved by the Rural Development Association, Pederson said. That means, the timing may move to next year rather than the end of this year.
There’s also uncertainty in the bid climate right now with prices and availability of products, he said.