Hennessey’s residential trash pickups will go from twice-a-week to once-a-week effective July 1.

All residential customers may get additional polycarts at $6 each and commercial users will pay $20.40 for each added polycart.

That’s also when rates for water, sewer and garbage customers will go up 4 percent for in-town residents and about 5 percent for out-of-town residents.

A perk for customers will be once-a-month “bulk waste” curbside pickups in town and in Miller Heights and Ike’s Acres, said Mayor Bert Gritz.

There will also be all-new polycarts and dumpsters, he said.

Utility increases and a five-year contract with Waste Connections for trash services were approved by Hennessey’s town trustees at their Thursday, June 10, meeting.

Route schedules for July pickups will be determined sometime this week, wrote Brittany LeMoine, Waste Connections territory manager, in an email to the Times & Free Press.

The town currently pays the company-based on the total town-wide yardage instead of a per home or commercial rate and most times weren’t breaking even.

The new contract is based on a per-customer basis. All utility users will notice at least a 4-to-5 percent increase on their July bill. Copies of the new rate schedule are available at town hall.

In addition to recouping what it is billing out, the town will use funds for billing and mailing charges and try to make up for people who leave town without paying their utility bills, Town Administrator Tiffany Tillman told the board last week.

Other factors are increased costs for water and sewer supplies; repairs at the water plant, and water and sewer line repairs and additions.

Trustee Richard Simunek asked when the rates were raised last.

“In 2018 and 2010,” said Town Administrator Tiffany Tillman.

Home rates raised 4 to 5%

Residential customers in town who have minimum water use (1,000 gallons or less) will notice a $2.01 increase on their monthly utility bill which is a 4 percent increase, and out-of-towners an added $2.24 month which is a 4.8 percent increase.

The current minimum in-town residential utility bill is $48.04 and will be $50.05 with the increase, according to the town’s new billing chart.

Out-of-town minimum-use residential customers who now pay $45.76 will have a $58.00 bill.

Commercial water users in town will pay $25 for the first 1,000 gallons as opposed to the current $16.54 rate and that same cost applies to sewer service. Rural water users will pay $35 for the minimum 1,000 gallons instead of $24.26 and bulk users will pay $32.45 instead of $30.90.

Trash contract

At the board’s direction last month, Mayor Gritz and Tillman negotiated costs with Waste Connections.

He said last week that he thought they got a good deal for the town and he knew some would be disappointed in going to once-a-week service.

Others will get another cart.

The cutback in trash service has been on the town board’s agenda for several months since a five-year service contract with Waste Connections expires June 30.

Company representatives have told the board that Hennessey has been its only twice-a-week service community.

Other customers in this area include Dover, Cashion, North Enid, Okeene, Canton, Selling.

It also services The Village, Cherokee and Burlington.

Kingfisher is not serviced by Connections, but offers once-a-week trash service.

New polycarts, dumpsters

Waste Connections will supply new polycarts and new commercial dumpsters next month, said Mayor Bert Gritz, who negotiated the new contract with the sanitation service along with Town Administrator Tiffany Tillman.

Waste Connections will begin a once-a-month “bulk waste” curbside pickup in town and in Miller Heights and Ike’s Acres, said Gritz.

Bulk waste includes large and small household appliances, furniture, carpet (3 foot length), mattresses, tree limbs (3 foot bundles not more than 1 inch in diameter), fencing (3 foot length bundles), etc.

Loose materials must be bagged, said LeMoine.

No refrigerators will be picked up, said Kyle Kornele, Waste Connections district manager at the Meno

There is also a 50-pound weight limit since the driver will be doing the lifting, he said.

Kornele said Waste Connections has provided trash service in Hennessey for more than 20 years and one of the board members commented on the lengthy eight-page contract.

LeMoine said, “It was probably only one page that first year.”

After the time schedule for pickups was discussed, Harold Shaw, new board member, spoke up.

“I can tell you when it comes to my house,” he said. “It’s 5:15 a.m. I know because I had to hurry out in my underwear to get our trash out the other morning.”

At the meeting

Trustee Clif Vogt was at the meeting in addition to Gritz, Simunek and Shaw. Trustee Keith Meek was absent.

In addition to Tillman, other staff at the meeting were Police Chief Ed Cangiano and Town Hall staffers and elected officials, Clerk Kati Walters and Treasurer Shelley Burch.

Dump site fee charges

The added curb pickups should ease use of the dump site west of town, said Gritz.

There were worries by board members that people might put trash in dumpsters at businesses.

“There’s a $500 fine if they do,” said Gritz, who looked at the police chief for affirmation.

Vice Mayor Clif Vogt said when he owned Sonic that he had that problem with others dumping their trash there.

Tillman said she is still working to come up with a recommendation on raising dumping rates at Cemetery Road transfer station.

“Enid and other places are charging a minimum of $37 a load,” she said, “and we’re charging $6. We had to have five rolloffs changed out after this weekend and only took in $290. It cost us $286 per rolloff, plus the labor.”

“There is no way in the world any business would operate in the red,” said Gritz, “and we can’t either. I see no choice than to go up substantially.”

“Some of this is business trash,” said Tillman and people from Enid and south of Kingfisher are coming to Hennessey to dump because it’s much cheaper.

People are coming from Okarche and dumping in Hennessey, the board was told.

One man was remodeling someone else’s house and they got one call at Town Hall from a contractor who wanted to know why the dump site was only open on Thursday-Saturday.

He was told it’s only for personal use, not commercial.

The county pays for half of the rolloff costs, Tillman said.

From the audience, the KT&FP reporter said she thought the county’s contribution comes out of District 2 Commissioner Ray Shimanek’s budget, not from the other two districts (Kingfisher and Okarche).

Before Tillman recommends a new fee schedule to the board, she will check with Shimanek.

Meanwhile, they’ll ask people who use the dump-site for their driver license and keep track of all their zip codes.

Church will expand playground

New stop signs on Second Street at Cherokee Street were approved. Vogt said the United Methodist Church plans to enlarge the playground area on the northeast corner where they now have a volleyball court.

Vogt, a member of that church, said there will be added playground equipment and basketball goals.

Sewer line for prospective new business

The board approved spending $50,000 to extend the sewer line on the north side of State Highway 51 across from Pizza Hut for a prospective business. That property is owned by local developer Scott Hajek.