Mayor Larry Caddell told the crowd nothing would be voted on.
“I just thought it would be fair to have a public hearing, so you could tell us what you want,” he said. “We are not going to change anything tonight.”
A long-standing contract with BFI for refuse collection is up for renewal, he said. BFI has been charging Carthage $12.65 per house per month. The total of 829 pickup sites at that rate have been running $125,842 a year.
“We get $8 a month in fees, so we are losing $46,258 every year,” Caddell said.
The look on faces in the room told the story. Everyone clearly understood that, with state funds held back, and other economic factors, the town might have to raise rates.
Caddell displayed a chart listing three sets of figures.
“We did some renegotiation with BFI,” he said. “If we stay with twice-a-week collection, their price will go down from $12.65 a month per customer to $11.48. We will then be losing $34,584 a year instead.”
He said Carthage is considering changing to once-a-week pickup, as have other towns in Moore County. New rollout 96-gallon garbage containers would be supplied at no cost to replace currently used privately owned ones, presently limited to no larger than 30 gallons.
That would cut the cost to Carthage down to $9 a month, and the town would have to cover only the dollar difference between what it collects and what the new type of service would cost.
“We would still lose $9,948 a year,” Caddell pointed out. “But I don’t want to see us raise our rates.”
If the town were to keep the same level of twice-a-week garbage collection as now, and raise rates to cover costs, customers would have to pay $3.48 more in fees.
Fees for garbage collection are sent out with water and sewer bills.
Many of those present had signed up to be sworn in and speak on the issue, but after Caddell’s explanation, virtually all remained in their seats.
Town Manager Carol Cleetwood read the list of names, querying each one as to their preference from the options facing Carthage.
With one exception, each said he or she thought the new proposal (once a week, using a town-supplied rolling containers) the best.
Only one man said he would rather just pay the $3 to keep the present service.
“I guess I forget to put it out sometimes,” he said. “It would be worth that much to me to have another chance without having to wait a week.”
In other action, the board closed out the Needmore Community Development Block Grant.
“Our grant was only supposed to cover the first phase,” Caddell said. “But we had the advantage of letting bids when conditions were not so good for our contractors. We were able to do both phases for the money we had.”
The board granted a variance to Clara Bowles to construct an 861-square-foot house on her property at 711 Pinecrest St. Her home is in an R-20 zone where the minimum heated living space required is 1,200 square feet. She said she wanted her son and his family to move into her house while she built the new one nearby.
“I only need a small house,” she said.
A request for a conditional use permit from Michael Allen to have a home-based gunsmith business in an RA-40 district was granted after the board amended the zoning ordinance to establish “gunsmith” as a conditional use and to establish a definition of the trade.
“I work full-time as a gunsmith for a company,” Allen said. “I just want to do this part-time in my home as more or less a hobby.”
Allen will have to secure B.A.T.F. Licensing.
The board also granted a request from Annie C. Frye to place a mobile home on her property at 832 Stage Road. A family member whose health has been poor will reside there, close to friends and relatives.
They approved a new contract with John Boaze, of Fish & Wildlife Associates Inc., to represent the town in helping to secure necessary permissions in connection with repairing the old dam at Nick’s Creek.
Details of the contract are to be worked out, and a special session will be called to consider it after that has been done.
The board approved an easement for the Carthage-Southern Pines water interconnection and accepted a bid for one surplus vehicle.
The board will hold a budget workshop starting at 5 p.m. before the next board of commissioners’ meeting. That session is scheduled for May 19.
