Despite months of discussion, the Mount Olive Town Board continues to struggle with how best to implement fees for special bulk curb-side collections of debris.
A major sticking point remains the lack of public education that a service, once provided free of charge, will now cost and that a resident’s failure to follow the pickup procedure would result in fines and penalties.
The enforcement and fees — $25 for small loads, $50 for medium loads and $100 for large loads — went into effect July 1.
The fees have been discussed at town board ordinance review sessions — which are open to the public — but not during any regular board meetings.
Another concern has been what kind of grace period to allow for residents to become adjusted to the ordinance being enforced as originally written.
The most recent discussion was during the board’s Tuesday, Aug. 1, ordinance review session, when it was agreed by consensus that the fees would not be collected until Oct. 1.
The ordinance governing bulk curbside collection, including fees, has been on the books for years — just never enforced as written.
The ordinance reads: “Any property owner desiring special bulk collections of loose matter, not in closed containers or tied in bundles, may request a special collection for which a special charge may be made. If sufficient manpower and equipment are available, town personnel are authorized to make the special collections, provided the person making the request agrees to pay for the labor and equipment used at the rate specified by the public works director.Rubbish such as worn-out furniture, refrigerators, stoves, and the like, will be picked up by the town only by specific request made to the public works department, at which time these items shall be placed behind the curb for collection.”
The town does not pick up building/construction materials; tires, dirt; rocks; cement; bricks; batteries; paint or hazardous materials.
Previously, town crews would pick up a bulk pile without having to be notified or charging a fee. However, as of July 1, residents must call 919-658-9517 to to request a pickup and fee assessment.
Now, when town crews find a bulk pile where a pickup has not been requested, an orange door hanger will be left at the residence explaining the process.
The ordinance details that the pickup will be at the town’s discretion and that the charge will be added to the resident’s water bill.
As of Oct. 1, residents who pile a bulk load for curbside collection and then fail to take it to the town’s recycling center or to make arrangements to have it collected within seven days of receiving the notification face fines and penalties that can total hundreds of dollars.
Mitchell Davis, the town’s public works director, has noted that there is no cost for people to carry their items to the town’s recycling center on Talton Avenue.
Commissioner Tommy Brown asked about the center’s hours.
Currently, the hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Friday and 8 a.m. to noon Saturday.
“That’s what I am hearing from a bunch of folks, if the site was open on the weekends longer then I wouldn’t have to put it outside by the street — I could take it to the dump myself,” Brown said.
“But (now) I load my stuff up and get there at 1 o’clock, 2 o’clock and it is closed.”
Davis said he has spoken with Town Manager Jammie Royall about opening the center five days a week.
Mayor Pro-tem Steve Wiggins, who conducted the Tuesday session, said he forgets people work because he is retired and as such he can take items whenever he wants to.
“But that (more hours) is a good point,” he added.
Wiggins questioned how the town should handle white goods (home appliances such as ovens and refrigerators).
“We should not be charging for stuff we can actually sell,” Wiggins said.
There is a white tax levied when someone purchases an appliance, explained Royall.
“So it is not legal for us to charge (a pickup fee)?” Wiggins asked.
That is correct, Royal responded.
Wiggins asked Davis how the fees were figured.
“We base it on the size of a small dump truck we recently purchased,” Davis responded. “You have got to charge something to pick up a lamp, a vacuum cleaner or a living room suite. For a small full dump truck, 100 bucks.
“A man has got to pick it up, go get rid of it. It is going to take his time to fuel (the truck) and the wear and tear on the vehicle.”
A medium load might be considered a couple of mattresses and a recliner, while a small load in a short-bed pickup would may be a table and a couple of chairs, a vacuum cleaner, he added.
A $50 load would be two of them, short-bed pickup loads, which would be half of a small dump truck load, Davis said.
“That is what I am basing it on,” he said. “That is all that I have to go by. I will try to be fair about it. I will try to keep in mind some people don’t have very much money, but also know that we have got to charge for the service.
“That is one of the reasons I was kind of against not charging for the white goods because that is still street side, but now Jammie explained to me just then why.”
The town only makes $4 on a washing machine that it carries to the landfill, he added.
Davis said he knows white goods are different, but that someone is going to question him as to why he did not charge to pick up their neighbor’s appliance, but did charge to pick up their recliner.
Wiggins asked Royall if he thinks the fees are enough.
Royall responded no and said that he thinks the town could get more.
“But, again, thinking some people won’t be able to pay that, some people won’t be able to pay but half of that,” he said.
Davis noted that there is nothing preventing the town from increasing the fees in the future.
Davis said he wanted to know more about where the town is as far as notifying the public.
“I am still picking it up for free right now,” he added.
Commissioner Barbara Kornegay said the town has the ordinance and suggested the fees be added to it and then have it all discussed at a town board meeting.
People can read about it on the Mount Olive Tribune website (mountolivetribune.com), and it should be on the town’s website (townofmountolivenc.org), she said.
Brown said the town also needs to look at mailers to all in-town water customers that were discussed during last month’s ordinance review session.
The basic information can be added to water bills as well, said town Finance Director Jamie Butler.
“I think your push back is going to be from the public when they get that bill and they have not had any education on it, other than it being on the website,” Brown said. “Like I said last time, we need to educate the public.”
