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Residents press council on trash-hauler disparities; single-hauler idea sent to work session
Summary
Multiple residents urged Columbia Borough Council to address disparate trash-hauler pricing and truck traffic. Council agreed to put the single-hauler proposal on the upcoming work-session agenda and asked staff to gather resident preferences.
Several residents used the public-comment period to push the borough to address trash-hauler variability, road impacts and enforcement.
Mary Barnier described recurring animal-waste and neighborhood nuisance issues and asked how complaints are followed up by codes or police. Residents reported wide pricing differences: one resident said he pays about $99 per quarter while another reported a bill of $164.50. Speakers cited road wear from multiple haulers, trucks passing multiple days per week, and difficulty tracking whether rental properties maintain required hauling contracts.
Council members said a single-hauler policy was not yet a decided course but acknowledged potential benefits including reduced truck traffic, standard container sizes and a single point of contact for enforcement. Staff told the meeting that the council had previously agreed to discuss the single-hauler topic at a future work session; council confirmed a work-session discussion scheduled for April.
No ordinance or contract decision occurred at the meeting; council directed staff to gather community input and bring the issue back at the work session so council can consider options including a formal single-hauler contract, reforming a borough authority for in-house hauling, or other regulatory steps.
