Suburbs

As I was preparing earlier this month for my annual summer sabbatical to St. Pete Beach, Germantown was starting to send out the monthly utility bills.

Complete with the increased cost of sanitation service for the suburb’s residents.

To recap — Germantown’s contract with Waste Pro to pick up the garbage led to an increase in the 60%-to-80%-range. That went into effect July 1. While that might not qualify as “sticker shock,” the increase is significant enough to draw some grousing about the cost.

In fairness, it should be noted that sanitation service ain’t a cheap endeavor. From the trucks to maintenance to the price tag of dropping the trash at the dump and the personnel costs of doing the job.

But there needs to be some upgrades to go with the service. That increase is enough to ask for improvements. You might not expect quality service at the drive-thru window for convenience food, but if you are paying more at a higher-priced restaurant, you expect a much more attentive and quality experience.

That’s where we’ve gotten with the contractor for Germantown collection.

That higher cost should translate to higher-quality service. That means no more cans dumped over on their side in the gutter or deposited in front of a driveway after being emptied in the top of the truck.

And no more taking the truck bumper to shove the garbage can to another spot.

Oh, wait. That’s the postal truck driver who pulls that move.

Reporter Abigail Warren asked city officials about the level of complaints during the first couple of weeks that accompanied the price increase. Her story on July 13 indicated that everything was fine. The complaints were minimal and pretty much routine for sanitation service. The bulk of the calls were inquiries about what is allowed, how the service has changed and a lot of inquiries about carts.

And, I suppose, that is as expected. I imagine that some of those people just aren’t calling to complain. Others choose to register their gripes on social media.

This is not a complaint about the rising cost of the service. Everyone should expect that, even if you didn’t like the way the bid process turned out. Every cost is rising. Gas, food, restaurants, services. And, frankly, the changing expenses are a staple of every generation. Folks will always mumble something akin to “I remember when ground beef was (fill in the lower price) a pound.”

Still, residents are paying more for the service. It has reached luxury car level versus Camry-like cost. For that price increase, customers have a right to expect a better level of service, such as the can being completely empty.

Or, the cans replaced in a manner where a heavy rain doesn’t send them floating down the gutter to the street drain.

Now, after two days of the unopened envelope sitting on the counter, I guess I’ll shake my hesitancy and see just how much the sanitation service will cost me. - Suburbs editor Clay Bailey

We hope you enjoy reading the latest news from our suburban reporters. If you’re a Daily Memphian subscriber, we appreciate your support. If not, please sign up for unlimited access to all of our local news coverage.