Bessemer citizens decry Eagle Waste rewards program

BESSEMER–– Hot topics at Monday's Bessemer City council meeting included the Eagle Waste rewards program and the possible purchase of an excavator for the city.

About 20 residents were in attendance and many made public comments on the contract the city has with Eagle Waste & Recycling of Ashland, Wis.

Several residents said privatizing the city's waste removal through Eagle Waste was not the right choice, citing higher prices as one reason.

A possible rewards system through Eagle Waste has also been proposed to allow individuals to claim rewards for sorting their waste and recyclables appropriately.

One resident suggested the rewards should be provided on a community basis with the rewards being based on the recyclables as a whole city, rather than individually.

On an individual basis, favoritism may arise, noted another resident, who also said a community-wide incentive is ideal. Other attendees agreed.

Residents also said there may be a lack of privacy if the reward program takes effect, when a worker has to look through trash to see if someone made a mistake.

One resident said the idea that someone would have to dig through trash was "disgusting."

Another resident clarified, saying the "intent is to open the trash and if nothing is obvious, they win. If something is seen, they lose" referring to the rewards.

Liability was another concern for some residents. One woman said this area has a higher use of drugs, and she said that digging though another individual's trash could have bad results.

Mayor August "Butch" Semmerling said people were coming up to him saying "don't do it," in regards to the proposed rewards program.

Council member Al Gaiss said many he had talked to were opposed as well, and said he personally was not for the program either. He agrees a community-driven program may better suit the city.

Council member Doug Olsen said of about 14 to 15 people he talked to, maybe one was for it.

After another lengthy discussion, Semmerling proposed a motion, with no opposition, to table the issue until the next meeting.

Excavator discussed

Also during public comment, a resident brought up the possible purchase of an excavator.

She raised concerns about getting a proper return on investment, necessity of a city excavator, insurance and liability, the cost of accessories and where the funds to purchase an excavator would come from.

She said she was not opposed to buying one, but questioned whether it was a need or a want.

Another resident said excavators cannot be used for many projects, especially if it has a larger bucket.

During new business, the council took up the question of purchasing a used excavator, with over 4,800 hours of use, from Swierski Equipment Inc., of Mosinee, Wis., for $68,500.

Addressing earlier questions, City Manager Mike Uskiewicz said there are no insurance issues, as it would be covered under the current policy.

Uskiewicz also said there could be rural development funds available to help with the purchase.

He also mentioned the excavator could possibly be leased to the Gogebic County Road Commission for use as well.

Council member Linda Nelson raised opposition to buying an excavator.

She said this is the first one the city has ever looked at and listed possible additional costs associated with the purchase.

She also said there were issues that arose when testing the excavator, such as stalling.

The mayor said he had not been informed of these issues. Nelson disagreed.

Several residents claiming to have experience with excavators said that used excavators with high hours tend to cost more than their worth in repairs.

One resident referred to the bid paperwork and said "'As is' is pretty scary when written down."

"I'm concerned. I don't want to see us do the wrong thing," said Gaiss.

Nelson suggested the cost of an excavator be figured into next year's budget, after more research and consideration.

The discussion about the excavator was tabled until the next meeting.

In the meantime, Mayor Semmerling said they will look into a possible extended warranty for the purchase of the excavator.

In other action

The council also:

-discussed the possible purchase of a water leak detector, before tabling the issue until the next meeting.

-received a letter from Richard Matrella about his desire to fill an open position on the Planning Commission. The council voted to approve his request.