The second of two public hearings scheduled by the Superior City Council to take public comment on a proposed change in the way residents of Superior are billed for trash service was held Monday evening.

There were few people in attendance to speak about the proposed change and most that did, wondered why the city was getting involved.

The City of Superior has taken a hands off approach to trash collection and recycling. Generally, the council has taken the position that trash is a private, not governmental issue.

The community once had a privately operated recycling center and until this year two private firms ran trash collection routes in the city. Those two firms consolidated into one and the resulting owner, Kelly Baker, has asked if the city would bill the residents for the trash service.

Under the plan being considered, the city will not set the rate for the trash collection service and will not be responsible for unpaid bills. Current city billing software has a provision for trash collection. All the city’s billing department will need do is indicate who is a Baker customer and the rate to be charged. The charge will then be automatically added to each month’s utility bill and the collected money will be remitted to the trash hauler. Should another company want to utilize the same service, that will be possible.

The billing proposal applies only to residential customers. The trash company will still have to bill commercial accounts.

After the hearing, no action was taken to either adopt or reject the plan.

In other action the council awarded a contract for the installation of a new ultra violet light disinfection system at the waste water plant. The system will use 96 lamps as the final disinfection process before the waste water is discharged into the Republican River. The contract was awarded to the Electric Pump firm. A grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency will pay 90 per cent of the cost.

The council approved seeking bids for changes to the natural gas distribution system being brought about by a planned state highway project. With an estimated cost of more than $376,000 the state will pay approximately $339,000. The difference is system changes the city wants to make that are not required by the highway project.

The parks department has been leasing three Grasshopper mowers. The lease for one of those mowers is expiring this year and the city has the choice to either buy the mower or turn it in. Because of an engine shortage a new mower will not be available to lease when the existing lease expires.

The council elected to purchase the present mower with a new deck installed for approximately the same cost as the annual lease payment has been.

Derek Clark reported work will soon begin on two additional Project Boom houses. One will be a shipping container conversion. It is planned the other home will be a more conventional home located on a lot at the southwest corner of 4th and Colorado.