Crown Point OKs contract extension plan with Republic

The Crown Point Board of Public Works and Safety approved the extension of the city’s garbage collection contract with Republic Services at a meeting Wednesday.

With the approval from the board, the city’s legal team will work on a contract with Republic to confirm costs for a six-year contract. With the contract, every house in Crown Point will be given a 95-gallon toter trash can, Mayor David Uran said at the meeting.

“The reason we are looking towards that is because with the related COVID issues that are out there, and ability for us to have quicker service and people to be able to have their garbage put in an acceptable container versus being on the ground or anything like that, doesn’t present a very safe environment for when we start doing trash collection,” Uran said in regards to the toter cans.

Uran said the costs of the 95-gallon cans are associated with the contract, which still needs to be executed in terms. He also said the current contract has COVID revisions in place. In place since 2014, homeowners originally paid $13.42 and has increased 20 or 21 cents each year since 2015.

“If there’s COVID-related reductions, because COVID goes away or there’s other changes out there, we’ve been reassured by our vendor that those costs would then be turned back to the city going forward and there would be a reduction in overall costs,” Uran said.

There will be additional costs for the city to break even on recycling, Uran said, and other municipalities will have the same additional costs when they begin to extend or negotiate their contracts.

“We’re doing the right things, recycling for greener communities and a greener nation, but there’s a cost associated with that based on what we’re currently doing with recycling materials in the United States,” Uran said. “If we want to continue to have things be done in the United States and employ people who are going to do those jobs and keep them stateside, we’re going to have to reinvest in our own technologies.”

Also at the meeting, the board approved the second annual National Recovery Month Walk from 1-3 p.m. on Oct. 4.