City will stick with bags

Bags — as in the garbage variety — won in a rout Monday night at the New Hampton City Council meeting.Council members voted 6-0 to award a five-year garbage contract to its current vendor, Jendro Sanitation, and to stick with the “bag” system instead of moving to a “bin” system.The vote came after the council received two bids for a new five-year contract that begins on Jan. 1, 2017 and after several residents spoke out against using bins.Mayor Deb Larsen, who has supported the move to bins, pointed out that in a survey conducted at City Hall, 247 residents supported bins while 177 voted for bags.But that did not sway the audience members who spoke as they pointed out that elderly residents could not afford what they say will be increased garbage costs and that it would lead to less recycling in the community.— For more on this story, see the Oct. 7 Tribune