'Trash' talk stalls Fountain Hills Town Council meeting

FOUNTAIN HILLS, AZ - A Town Council meeting dragged long into the night Thursday after dozens of people voiced their concerns about a proposed change to their trash collection service.

Some residents are upset about a proposal to consolidate the town's waste services with a single company and cut down on garbage collection days from two to one.

The current system allows residents to choose from five different companies. But the town is eying a unified contract to cut down on pollution, noise, traffic and costs, officials said.

"We can save about $92,000 in street maintenance a year," Town Manager Rick Davis said. "And through collective purchasing, we can save additional money as well."

Davis estimates total savings to reach about $1,000,000 a year.

However, some residents aren't sold on the idea and feel that using a single company will create a monopoly and will drive up costs for residents in the long term.

The Town Council was scheduled to decide the matter Thursday night. But after several hours of public comment and discussion, they still had not reached a decision.