PWS lowers activation fee as Selma citizens ask for more information on new garbage service

Selma citizens who attended a Tuesday meeting to hear about changes in sanitation services said they were not satisfied with the level of communication they have received so far.

Preferred Waste Solution and the city of Selma cohosted a town hall meeting Sept. 1 at the Selma Convention Center to discuss PWS taking over the contract to pick up household waste in the city starting on Oct. 1. Citizens must sign up before that date or face a fine.

Several citizens who attended the meeting said that they don’t feel they were properly informed of the changes, and based on the reaction from the hundred-plus attendees, that feeling was shared by many.

PWS CEO Julia Isaac told the crowd that PWS hasn’t directly contacted citizens now served by Martin Environmental because Martin hasn’t provided PWS a list of their customers. Information about the change has been disseminated by the city, media coverage and social media posts, she said.

Questions and comments from the crowd were so pointed that PWS Chief Operating Officer Dawayne Isaac stormed out of the meeting, but he returned shortly after with an apology and an announcement that PWS will decrease the activation fee from $35 to $20. That’s the fee to reimburse PWS to open the account and deliver the bright orange garbage cart.

With that new, lower $20 activation fee, customers will pay $76 to get their curbside service started. That includes the $20 activation fee, the fee for the first two months (October and November at $25 each for a total of $50) and the franchise fee ($3 a month for October and November for a total of $6).

Citizens who choose to take their household waste to the county’s waste station on Highway 41 can sign a form to that effect and avoid a fine for not signing up for trash pick-up.

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Citizens who own their home and whose only source of income is Social Security can apply for an exemption from paying the $25 monthly fee. The cost of their service will be covered by the $3 franchise fee.

Julia Isaac said that the number of exemptions is limited to no more than 10% of the total customers. Because citizens are still signing up, PWS and the city don’t know how many of the 490 citizens who have applied for exemptions will be covered.

The franchise fee was a point of contention among several who attended the Sept. 1 meeting. One attendee asked sarcastically if the city was going to provide a form so citizens can write off the fee as a charitable deduction on their income tax.

Several also asked why the city changed providers and why they selected PWS. City Councilperson Jannie Thomas said that Martin has worked for four years without a contract, and the city council decided to put the service out for a bid. PWS was the less expensive choice, and they have provided sanitation service in Georgia for years.

The contract is for two years with options for renewal.

Citizens can sign up for service at city hall. PWS is looking for a site for its own office, Julia Isaac said.

PWS can be reached at (334) 387-6868, by email at pws.alababama@outlook.com or on their website at www.pwastsesolutions.com. PWS will not respond to questions or complaints left on social media, Julia Isaac said.