A main focus of the Magnolia Springs Town Council meeting earlier this week was a recurring one for the past couple of meetings, which has been dealing with recycling issues within the town limits.

The town council has been looking into possible solutions to the problem for weeks, but no decision has been made yet to either move the bin or change service providers to eliminate the undue stress put on residents who live near the current location of the recycling bin.

All recyclable materials in Magnolia Springs are collected at a communal recycling bin located near the school. The current location of the bin causes recycling materials, and in some cases, trash, to accumulate in the yards of nearby residents.

After hearing multiple complaints, the town council started looking for a solution back in December.

The Magnolia Springs Town Council announced Tuesday at a council meeting  possible solutions to the recycling problem plaguing residents of the town.

Council member Brett Gaar has been busy in the past few weeks contacting other municipalities to see how waste and recycling pickup is handled there, and he has also been in contact with the Baldwin County Waste Management Department to see if the issue could be solved at the source.

Part of the recycling problem, he believes, is caused when the recycling bin is exchanged. The material accumulated near the bin is usually not picked up.

“Our problem obviously has been the recycle bin and complaints about the debris around it and trying to find other alternatives. I have talked to Jim Ransom [with the county] and he said that the truck driver, they had a ‘come to Jesus meeting’ to make sure that he was doing what he was supposed to because he is supposed to get out and clean up around the dumpsters when he delivers. If there is more than he can handle he is supposed to call litter patrol and they are supposed to be here in 30 minutes. If we see any problems and it is not getting better to let him know and he will address it,” said Gaar.

The town council is waiting to see if the condition will improve if the material is picked up around the bin.

Gaar has also spoken to representatives from Allied Waste, who were also present at Tuesday’s council meeting to speak to the council and answer any questions.

The town’s residents are currently receiving solid waste services through the county without recycling pickup. Allied is prepared to offer the residents curbside trash and recycling pickup.

The representatives from Allied Waste told the council what they are offering to Orange Beach, Gulf Shores and Elberta residents.

“We have quite a bit of service in the area and the south part of Baldwin County with the City of Gulf Shores and the City of Orange Beach, Elberta…I understand you are having recycling issues, and in those two areas we offer curbside recycling programs,” the representative said. “I consider ourselves to be in a spoiled society. We want everything instant. We want everything convenient. That is not all bad in recycling, because when you make it convenient more people participate. That is the beauty of a single stream pickup.”

    He was confident Allied Waste could offer most of the services the town’s residents would need, including the convenience of curbside recycling, which would be picked up by an automated truck just like household garbage. The only service Allied Waste will not be able to provide is yard waste pickup. In other local municipalities Allied Waste services, the municipalities handle yard waste pickup. Terminating the town’s agreement with the county would also result in the yard waste pickup ceasing in Magnolia Springs.

“With the county, it is all or nothing,” said Gaar.

If the city were to terminate the agreement with the county for waste services, Mayor Charles Houser clarified at the meeting, the agreement with Allied, or any other company who would come in to handle waste, would be between the company and the residents and not the company and the town. The only agreement between a waste company and the town would be a franchise agreement allowing the company to offer services within the town limits.

     “It might make it simpler from the standpoint as far as us considering changing,” said Houser.

    Council member Bob Holk proposed a possible alternate location for the bin to the council he believes could resolve the issues until the town is able to negotiate an alternate service agreement. Holk suggested the bin be moved from its current location at the school to town property near the fire station.

    The town council is waiting to make a decision to enter into an agreement with Allied Waste until exact pricing can be determined. Council members said they wanted to make sure they got the residents the best deal possible. Allied Waste could not offer the town a cost estimate at the meeting because each location’s needs are slightly different, so the costs could not be easily compared to Gulf Shores’ rates.

    The town council is still considering the best move to make for the situation.

    “What it basically boils down to is can we get as good or better service with you guys versus the county. I think curbside recycling would definitely be an advantage,” said Gaar. He suggests the council calls for bids even though the town is not legally required to do so. “I think we would want to so the citizens realize we have the best product for the price. Not that we are obligated to but because that is what they would want us to do I think.”

Council member Bob Holk also wanted to make sure the residents got the best deal possible.

“I guess what we need to know, quite frankly if it is going to double the households cost or even if it is 1 ? times the cost, we probably will not be able to do it. it would be hard to justify it,” he said.

In the meantime, the town is planning to move the recycling bin to another location and gather feedback from the residents about what services they want and determine if curbside recycling would be welcomed and also determine how many residents want to have yard waste picked up.

In other council news:

The town council passed a proclamation declaring February 26 as Arbor Day. This year Arbor Day will be celebrated on Arbor Day, in years past the town was asked to celebrate on an alternate day.

The finance committee suggested a plan for the town to fund a portion of the turn lane put in place to accommodate Family Dollar. Houser said the town will fund up to $90,000 of the project, which is slightly less than half of the total cost of the project.

The finance committee recommended for the town to take the seven-month CD it currently has and convert it to 24 month CD, which would raise the income. The new CD would then be used as collateral on a five-month note.

    “We make more income and we pay less interest. It is a no brainer from a financial standpoint. For the balance of the money we think we can pull that from the money market account and still leave $64,000. I think we can replenish that pretty quickly once we start getting income from Family Dollar,” said Houser in an earlier meeting.

It was decided at Tuesday’s meeting to leave the money market account alone because the town had an unexpected surplus in the general operating budget. Town Clerk Karen Biel was going to move around $40,000 from the general fund to the money market account but the money from the general fund will go towards the turn lane financing instead.

Houser was astonished how well the town’s finances appeared for the year so far.

“We are doing well enough that we can take that out of the operating fund, not go into the money market, keep the money market at $105,000. I think that is interesting,” he said.

The town council authorized the mayor to enter into an agreement and get the bank to draft a proposal. The resolution to approve the action will be up for a vote at the next council meeting in February.

Gaar announced to the council work was done to spruce the town up a bit, including removing vegetation which had accumulated on the stop sign near Villa’s, making it impossible to see the sign.  

The council also authorized town clerk Karen Biel to purchase a fireproof cabinet of drawers because she is running out of space. She estimates the price to be about $12,000 but she is seeking cheaper alternatives as well. The historic commission has also requested a drawer in town hall to store some of their documents in. The new cabinets will house town documents and the historic commissions paperwork.

Houser also announced a seafood festival, which will take place in the town, was in planning stages. The festival will coincide with the Magnolia Run on April 2 and will be hosted by Jesse’s. The event will take place on the school grounds and include ten restaurants, all serving up local seafood. The event will cost between $20 and $25 and include all you can eat food and complimentary wine.