Baxter aldermen have tabled a plan to purchase garbage cans for city residents.
Mayor John Martin said Thursday that aldermen need more time to compare bids.
“We’ve had three companies bid on this project, and we had cans from two companies, but the other company didn’t have time to get the can here,” Martin said. “We felt like we would table that for the night because it’s expensive to buy cans for this project. We want to make sure we’re comparing apples to apples when we accept a bid.”
The city plans to order a total of 1,000 90-gallon cans for the 800 residents of Baxter. Martin said homeowners would have the option to purchase a second trash can from the city if needed.
“We feel like it’s going to clean our town up by not having bags thrown out on the street everywhere,” Martin said. “We will look at a day a month to pick up other things that don’t go into the regular garbage.”
The cans will be picked up by a new sidearm-loader garbage truck. Martin said the vehicle will cut down workman’s comp and provide better safety for employees.
“It’s going to get the people off the back of the truck,” Martin said. “We’re not going to lay off anyone. There will be two people shifted into other things that need to be done in Baxter.”
Aldermen voted to purchase the new garbage truck last week, along with a capital outlay note to help pay for it.
