The Marthasville Board of Alderman unanimously approved a bid by Grace Hauling for three years of trash service during their April 22 meeting.

The city received two bids, one from Grace and the other from Meridian Waste. Both bids were for three-year terms. According to information provided at the meeting the current trash collection rate paid by residents is $15.38 per month, plus a $1 service charge per month for city staff to handle the billing and paperwork for the service. Seniors also receive a $1 discount per month on their bills.

Meridian’s bid was $16.88 per month for the first year, $17.54 per month for the second year and $18.26 per month for the third year. The rate for seniors would be $1 lower than the quoted rates per month. The terms also included one 65-gallon or 95-gallon cart with additional carts costing $4 per cart per month.

Grace’s bid was $15.50 per month for the first year, $16.50 per month for the second year and $17.50 per month for the third year. Seniors would receive a $1 discount per month on the quoted rates. The terms also included one 95 gallon cart, with additional carts costing $5 per cart per month.

As Grace has a slightly higher extra cart rate, the board then looked into how many residents have second carts. According to figures produced at the meeting, there are 441 homes and 636 total carts.

Ultimately after some discussion the board voted to approve the bid by Grace Hauling by a vote of 3-0. Alderman Gary Dixon was not present at the meeting.

The board also voted 3-0 to have City Attorney Mark Piontek draft an ordinance to place a yield sign at the intersection of West Main and One Street.

The board also heard from resident Martine Waltemath. She said she rents a property in town and was wondering why there isn’t a breakdown for projects the city has contractors doing work on. She wanted to know why the city was not being transparent with property owners about the various road projects being completed in the city and why residents are not made aware of work to be done within the city until contractors begin performing work in their front yards. She questioned why Lamke Trenching & Excavating is performing work on a variety of projects in the city and whether bids were obtained on those projects.

The board did not respond to Waltemath’s concerns during Wednesday’s meeting.

During the meeting aldermen Nicholas Lange and Chris DeVore were sworn into their respective seats.