The charges for garbage pickup in Itta Bena will rise Oct. 1 when Leflore County begins handling the routes there.
The rate for residences will go up from $12 to $14. The rate for businesses will rise from $10 to $15.
Itta Bena's contract with Waste Management Inc. expires Sept. 30, and the city was facing the possibility of having to double its fees.
“We're a small municipality,” said Mayor Thelma Collins. “And because of that, (Waste Management) said they were going to have to double our fees to continue the service.”
Upon learning of the potential increase, Collins decided the city should explore other options.
“Like everywhere else, we're trying to provide services for our residents at the lowest cost,” said Collins. “But whenever expenses increase for the city, we have to pass some of that on to our citizens.”
Pickups will be on Fridays, whereas with Waste Management, the pickups were on Wednesday.
The county charges $8.50 per residence per month to pick up garbage once a week in the county, said Leflore County Chancery Clerk Sam Abraham. For businesses in the county, it is $10 per month.
Abraham said the city of Itta Bena is receiving the same rate.
He said the Itta Bena service will cost the county nothing. “Those rates will cover us, and then some,” he said.
The county's contract with Itta Bena does not include the pickup of rubbish. That is where the additional $5.50 on the bill is going, Collins said.
“The city will pick up its own rubbish.”
Itta Bena, with a population of 2,208, has about 752 garbage containers that Leflore County will service.
Greenwood city residents are charged $13 a month for garbage pickup. That charge includes rubbish pickup.
Itta Bena was under contract with Waste Management, Inc. for roughly eight years, Collins said.
