The City of Arkansas City might get back into the large waste-hauling business, or require a fee for those who do it now.
A discussion led by City Manager Nick Hernandez on how to handle that service took place this week at the City Commission meeting.
Hernandez said currently four providers are operating within the city limits.
“These are people who provide services that we don’t, like the big roll off dumpsters and commercial dumpsters,” he said.
The city could establish a franchise fee or require a permit, charging a percentage of the haulers gross receipts.
Hernandez said the charges would basically be impact fees to help compensate for additional wear to city streets.
City Attorney Tamara Niles said the city code requires haulers to have a permit but a fee has never been established. After calling several other communities to find out how they handle independent haulers, Niles discovered that most offer the service themselves and do not permit independent contractors to operate within the city.
(Read more: The Arkansas City Traveler)