Renters in Decatur may need to budget a little extra as the deposit needed to transfer water service could go up beginning Oct. 1
In a work session Tuesday, the Board of Aldermen discussed the possibility of raising the deposit amount due to renters taking the town’s trash cans when they move.
“When people move they take their garbage cans with them,” said City Clerk Brenda Harper. “Right now, we’re not asked to pay. We just contact WastePro and they bring us some more cans, but there may come a time when they make us pay.”
Decatur does charge a $60 refundable deposit for trash cans delivered in the annexed areas of the city, Harper said, adding the garbage can deposit is attached to the water deposit. However, she said, no deposit is charged for residents within the main city limits.
“The garbage can is property of the town, just like an unpaid water bill. That’s money that’s due us,” said Alderman Mark Buntyn.
As the value of each garbage can is about $75, Buntyn suggested the board raise the deposit to cover the cost.
Mayor David Marshall said each garbage can has a serial number printed on it. When a resident sets up service, the city could attach a specific can to that household.
“Starting October 1, anybody who’s setting up water has to do an $80 deposit,” Marshall said. “When they get a garbage can, record the serial number and attach it to the file. Then when they come back and bring it back, they can get their $80 back.”
Harper said the plan is to attach a specific can to each household receiving water and trash service from the city. Knowing which can goes with each house will help the city increase accountability for the missing cans, she said.
The board agreed something needed to be done to help the city keep track of garbage cans. Decatur Aldermen will discuss the issue further in their regular meeting Sept. 4 before taking action.
Fire Truck
Also, during the work session Tuesday, the Board of Aldermen talked about the city’s growing need for a new fire truck and possible methods of covering the $409,000 cost.
The board discussed the possibility of a lease-purchase agreement and weighed that against financing the purchase though a bank loan.
However, due to a large volume of orders, Fire Chief Raymond Overstreet said it would take at least a year for the city’s truck to be built and delivered. That, he said, could make financing difficult to budget as payments would not start until 18 months after purchase.
“The scary part of that is if the economy changes in 18 months when we get the truck, it might change their rules,” Marshall said. “It might go in our favor. It might not.”
Fire Chief Raymond Overstreet said there is also a possible Assistance Firefighter Grant though the FEMA, 25 percent of which has been earmarked to help municipalities purchase emergency vehicles.
The annual grant application window opens in November, Overstreet said, which would give the city enough time to gather more information on purchasing options.
“The downside is…nobody in the South got a fire truck awarded out of it,” Marshall said.
Although the board agreed they would not be able to put off purchasing a fire truck much longer, the issue of how to pay for it remained unsolved. However, the board pledged to continue looking at potential funding methods until a solution could be found. Fire protection, they said, is a key component of the city government.
“That’s why people live inside a municipality. They want the police protection; they want good water and fire protection, and they deserve it. That’s what they pay taxes for,” Buntyn said.
