County garbage bid awarded to Waste Management

A new residential garbage collection and recycling bid was awarded to Waste Management by the Shelby County Commission on July 11.  

Commissioner Lindsey Allison complimented the county staff for their work on the project, saying they were left with a very difficult situation after the previous provider pulled out of their contract. She added that in years of garbage pickup, this was probably one of the most difficult things they’ve ever faced.

“I know that historically we’ve maintained the garbage rate at a very low rate and we are able to do that because we own and manage our own landfill,” Allison said. “The only thing that has to be bid for the public is pickup.”

She said she hopes the public appreciates that the county tried to do the best they could with what was available.

Recently named County Engineer David Willingham said the original bid that went out was $36 per month, and knew it had to be adjusted to get a lower number. 

The bid is for trash pickup only. The cost of recycling has increased substantially and Allison said the public may need to be reeducated about the recycling process and anticipates the commission receiving complaints about that component. 

“When you recycle, there’s a cost. It’s not economically beneficial to recycle and most of what you think is recycling, you’re not.”

Facilities and General Services Manager Trey Gauntt said the commission is planning to place two recycling bins at Heardmont Park, primarily for cardboard and paper, which are the most recyclable. He said the commission will pay around $160,000 per year out of pocket for the bins to be emptied and will pursue an ADECA (Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs) grant to try to help offset some of the cost.

For customers who need yard waste pickup, it will require an additional monthly service fee ($137.51). Willingham said for customers who only need that service a few times a year, it would be most beneficial to hire a special contractor to handle that and the county has compiled a list of contractors in the area who can help with those services. 

Also during the meeting, Rep. Corley Ellis was honored by the Shelby County Commission during the meeting with an award from the Alabama County Commissioners Association honoring him for his dedication and service to the county government of Alabama, through these particular house sponsorships and passage of the following acts: safeguarding the retirement benefits of all eligible employees; expanding access to and participating in the tax lien auctions; and granting unrestricted authority for local governments to provide Tier 1 benefits to Tier 2 employees.

Shelby County CFO Cheryl Naugher gave a nine month revenue update on the FY22 budget.

• Sales tax is almost 13% over budget variance at $2,072,777.
• Rental taxes are 12% over budget variance at $279,676.
• Lodging up almost 10% over budget variance at $245,930.
• Highway gas taxes almost up 11% ($447,070) and rebuild up 24% over budget variance ($227,879).
• Total revenues are $748,279 over budget and Naugher said everything is tracking very positively. 

The commission also approved the following: 

• Vehicle equipment to Dana Safety Supply for the sheriff’s department
• Uniform and duty gear to MAC Uniform for the sheriff’s department
• Bill print and mail service to DATAprose
• Pavement rehabilitation project for the Shelby County Airport bid to Ameriseal of Ohio
• Nomination of Kevin Morris to the 2022-23 ACCA legislative committee
• To provide $130,733 for FY23 in the county’s general fund for ClasTran to use the applicable local match for public transportation.
• A retail liquor license for Besitos Mexican Kitchen located at 5479 U.S. 280, Suite 102. 
• Two new license options from the Alabama ABC Board for the hospitality programs 

In other updates: 

• Chief Operating Officer Phil Burns reported that the county commission received a CDC grant specifically for confinement for the jail and juvenile detention facility. Equipment purchasing will include temperature sensors for those entering the buildings, plasma generators for the HVAC and molecular testers for infection testing. 
• A new queuing system will be installed at the Pelham license office next week. The system features a touch-screen kiosk that distributes a number for customers that puts them in the queue for their requested service. This system is already available at the license office in Columbiana and the 280 County Services building. 

County Engineer Randy Cole said he was proud to report that road construction in Chelsea at County Road 47 and County Road 39 was up and running at the beginning of July. It’s not completely finished, but is substantially complete, he said. 

“We are pleased we’ve got that operating and by moving that traffic signal further away from train tracks, that enhances safety greatly,” he said.

Resurfacing continues on Valleydale Road and Cole said they work will take place at nights if weather allows. 

Sheriff John Samaniego said the department has had a challenging two weeks, following the death of Bibb County Officer Bradley Johnson. He said that over 30 deputies from the department were in Bibb County after the incident took place and that the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office ended up taking instant command for a few hours until the state was able to set up.

Austin Patrick Hall, who shot and killed Johnson, is currently being held in the Shelby County Jail. Samaniego said that ALEA brought him there for the interview and it was decided he would stay there instead of returning to Bibb County. 

“We conducted our 72 hour hearings with the Bibb County judge coming to us, along with the District Attorney and the defense,” Samaniego said.