The Pell City City Council returned to discussions about trash collection at its March 23 work session, and the debate continued over the same question — is the potential for better service worth the possibility of higher rates?

For City Manager Brian Muenger, the issue isn’t specific to either. Muenger said the city’s contract with its current collection provider, Advanced Disposal, doesn’t provide the city with any means to punish the company when it isn’t in compliance.

“The number of complaints has dropped, but certainly not to an amount I consider acceptable,” Muenger said.

Mayor Joe Funderburg and Council member Jay Jenkins raised the issue of accountability at a meeting in February as discussions arose over the possibility of rebidding the contract. Since then, multiple trash collection companies have presented to the council, expressing interest in submitting a bid to provide service in Pell City.

Muenger said, on his first day as city manager, he reviewed a letter sent by Advanced Disposal that offered to extend the flat rate of $14.59 for residential customers but would increase rates for commercial customers. The company has a separate contract for each of these services, and both expire in July.

“The contract doesn’t allow you to punish the contractor when it is not in compliance,” Muenger told the Council. “It’s a deficiency in the current contract that could be remedied in process of rebidding the service.”

The issue wasn’t voted on during the meeting, as questions still circle regarding rates.

“I’m opposed to it,” Council member Dot Wood said of rebidding the contract. “If I knew [rates] would go down, I’d vote for it. But everybody else’s rates are going up.”