Poland makes changes to utility contracts
By Jordyn grzelewski
poland
Village officials will be surveying residents about the trash-collection companies they use and how much they pay for this service in order to get them a better rate.
Joe Mazur, village council president, said they will be conducting the survey within the next 30 days, after which waste-management companies will have the opportunity to give a presentation to the village council so the officials can select one company to provide services at a better rate.
“There’s a large discrepancy between the fees. Maybe we could get a better deal for the citizens of Poland if we brokered a deal with one company,” Mazur said.
Mazur said using one company for all waste management would result in a better rate for customers, as well as eliminate the truck traffic resulting from the use of four or five companies collecting trash in the village.
Mazur said they will try to coordinate this effort with Poland Township, since the same companies also collect trash there.
“We’ll see if we can make a joint effort to broker a deal,” he said.
In addition to garbage- collection rates, village residents will pay a different rate for natural gas beginning in November if they are enrolled in the village’s natural-gas program. Village council members unanimously voted last week to renew the village’s contract with Independent Energy Consultants, the terms of which will result in a slight increase in the rate customers pay. The company will contact customers in August or September with information about the new rate, according to Village Mayor Tim Sicafuse.
“It’s more than last time, but nothing astronomical,” Sicafuse said regarding the new rate.
Poland Township, Boardman, Canfield city and township, Austintown and Youngstown are among the other communities that are part of the natural-gas aggregation program in which customers in all of the communities pay the same fixed rate.
Starting in September, Poland Village residents also will pay an increased rate for water. The village council passed legislation in June approving a 4.9 percent increase in what customers pay Aqua Ohio.
According to Sicafuse, the rate increase will benefit Aqua Ohio customers.
“Aqua Ohio will put a lot of money back into their infrastructure. They’re going to do a lot of repairs and upgrades with the money,” Sicafuse said.