Town Board wants IGA to pay for garbage bags

Tuesday in its work session, the  Town Board took up the issue of the IGA ordering town garbage bags but taking months to pay the town back. The other handful of retail outlets that sell the bags pay upfront when they’re ordered through the Highway Department, and keeps 10 percent of the sales.

The arrangement with the IGA is it doesn’t pay the town until money is collected from sales.

But the supermarket often goes two or three months without paying, Town Clerk Dorothy Ogar said.  Even notifying the store that it has 30 days to pay has not worked.

It can be a considerable expense, Highway Superintendent Jay Card Jr. noted, with the Highway Department often delivering $24,000 worth of bags to the IGA during the summer.

Councilwoman Chris Lewis suggested Town Attorney Laury Dowd write a letter to the IGA management. It should be worded carefully, however, Councilman Paul Shepherd suggested, since it would not benefit residents if the bags became unavailable at the store. “Be mindful to make it work for both parties,” he added.

Ms. Lewis said the situation was unacceptable and suggested inviting the store management to a meeting to discuss issue.

In other business: The South Ferry Hills Association has asked the town to remove debris from a bulkhead around Merkel Creek that it’s replacing while the creek is being dredged. Mr. Card said it would cost the town about $1,500 to removed the debris, money easily found in the Highway Department’s budget.

Mr. Shepherd said the amount of  money was not an issue, but a precedent might be set for the town working for a homeowner’s association.

But Mr. Card said that the town has a boat ramp — available to any town resident — at the location that will benefit from the new bulkhead, and there are emergency situations where first responders use the ramp.

The board tabled a decision until a later date.