Council delays vote on trash collection contract in Hampton

At its Oct. 26 meeting, Hampton Township Council delayed a vote until next month on a trash collection contract that would increase residents’ bills by about 33% because of a discrepancy with the bidder, Waste Management, regarding prices.

Christopher Lochner, municipal manager, said that while township officials knew Waste Management planned to charge residents to purchase an additional 96-gallon container, he didn’t realize the hauler also would charge them $75 more per year to transport the waste in the extra containers. Lochner called this added cost “a real racket.”

“We said, ‘Oh no that was not part of the specification,’” Lochner told council. “So we’re going to have to clarify that.”

The proposal, which would increase bills from $22.84 per month to $30.51 next year, also would dispense with unlimited service for residents, instead providing them with 96-gallon containers to fill with refuse. Residents could purchase one additional container that costs $100. Disposing of some electronics, such as refrigerators and microwaves, also won’t be included in the monthly bill.

The monthly price would increase to $33.26 in 2024, $36.25 in 2025 and $39.50 in 2026 under the proposal. Lochner said there would be no senior discount.

He added that he would “love to rebid this contract,” but there’s been no interest from other service providers. Seven municipalities, including Hampton, that partner for the service received only the Waste Management bid, due to labor shortages and a lack of trucks.

Lochner had said at council’s Oct. 12 meeting that an unlimited contract like the township has now would have cost residents $64 per month.

Hampton resident Eileen Drake, 81, said she’s concerned about the effects of rising costs on her neighbors who rely on Social Security for their income. She was also saddened to hear that the senior discount will disappear with the contract.

“Is there some way that they could not have insurmountable expenses that are going to be the straw that breaks the camel’s back? That puts them out of their house,” she said. “Because I’m OK. Some of my friends are OK. But there are those that are just barely hanging on to live in their house in Hampton. It’s expensive to live here.”

Lochner also announced at the meeting that the township is working with the Hampton Youth Lacrosse Association to find space in the Hampton Community Park for their practices and games instead of the group pursuing the development of a multi-sport field facility on a parcel of land off Main Drive.

Zach Merritt, vice president of HYLAX, requested during the Oct. 12 meeting that the township pay for a feasibility study for the 10.5-acre property, which is adjacent to the Pennsylvania Turnpike and Orchard Drive, to determine development costs, street entrances and environmental concerns. Merritt said the group had struggled for years to find field space. However, about 30 residents showed up to express their disapproval for the proposal because of potential noise and traffic.

With residents’ concerns in mind, Lochner said council members sought alternatives other than developing the parcel, such as potentially lighting the soccer fields or Meadow Field. Lochner said Merritt was “amenable” to that approach. About 20 residents at the meeting applauded following this announcement.

“If someone does come in and buy that property and wish to develop it, if they develop it within our ordinances, there’s not much that the township can do to prevent that,” said Carolynn Johnson, council president. “So you may want to consider what your options are with regard to that property, with the number of homes that are surrounding it.”