Culbertson reworks garbage rates, adopts emergency ordinances and awards collection contract

The council moved to stabilize collection service and municipal finances after the town lost partner customers and faced higher compliance costs.

Minutes show the council adopted emergency Ordinance No. 182 to re-establish equitable garbage rates and Ordinance No. 183 to set solid waste landfill fees. The council set Class III landfill hours, established ticket prices for nonresidents ($10 per pickup load, $25 per farm truck load), and instructed gate attendants to accept checks only, with ticket books sold at the town office, Finnicum's and Oelkers Servicenter.

At a special session the council accepted an interim hauling offer from L & L Sanitation to keep refuse moving while advertising a new collection contract. On May 2 the council approved the garbage collection contract with L & L Sanitation, recorded in the minutes as $6,019.47 per month ($72,233.60 per year), covering May 1, 1994–June 30, 1995. The minutes record one-off payments for April interim hauling ($6,456.27) and other April landfill buy-out amounts.

The council also modified several commercial and residential rates, approved final readings of prior ordinances affecting water and sewer charges, and reduced special accounts’ garbage rates where warranted (for example, Culbertson Athletic Club). The minutes show the council planned additional commercial rate adjustments to be addressed with new ordinances where increases exceeded the stated increments.

These steps were taken explicitly to cover hauling and disposal cost differences after Bainville and others altered their arrangements and to avoid service interruption for residents.