Treutlen Board of Commissioners Select Amwaste as New Curbside Trash Pickup Provider

The Treutlen County Board of Commissioners selected waste management company Amwaste to provide curbside trash pickup services for residents during their monthly meeting on May 4, following a month of consideration.

The Board began reviewing submitted bids for a new contract for trash pickup during their April 6 meeting. Two bids were submitted: one from Ryland Environmental, who previously serviced Treutlen County, and the other from Amwaste.

According to Amwaste’s proposal, the company would charge $16.25 per can per month with an extra $8 per can for additional cans. These prices are based on billing through Treutlen County, as the bid advertisement did not specify a request for direct billing.

Amwaste’s rolloff service would charge $375 per haul and $35 per ton. Amwaste would also not impose an extra fuel surcharge, as opposed to Ryland’s 4% fuel surcharge.

Rather than make a decision during the April 6 meeting, the Board elected to wait until their May meeting to vote, so they would have enough time to review both proposals. They also invited representatives from Ryland and Amwaste to a work session on April 8 to further discuss the details.

“I think [it] would be wise to our constituents to do that,” said Board Chairman Phil Jennings during the April 6 meeting.

During the work session, County Manager Joseph Glenn’s biggest concern and inquiry for the Amwaste representatives was their level of communication should residents or the county run into any issues with Amwaste’s service.

“That’s my biggest concern, really, is making sure if we bring you guys on, you’re going to answer the phone,” said Glenn.

According to the Amwaste representatives, Treutlen County would have a dedicated operations manager to maintain communication and address any concerns which may arise.

The representatives also said certain options not present in their proposal, such as direct billing and commercial dumpsters, could be made available should the county officials desire them.

Finally, during the May 4 meeting, Board Member Rodney Meeks offered a motion to accept Amwaste’s bid for the curbside trash pickup service, which passed unanimously. 

“I think it’s a positive win for Treutlen County,” said Amwaste Operations Manager Buddy Baldwin. “I think Treutlen County is going to see positive effects from it. I think being the local partnership next door is a great thing.”

Trash services under Amwaste will be billed through Treutlen County, rather than direct billing through Amwaste. According to District Manager Josh Raugh, the Board will receive an official contract to sign the week after the meeting.

In other action items, Board Member Joey Powell offered motions to renew a contract with the Community Service Board of Middle Georgia and to reinstate Wayne Coates onto the Region 5 EMS Council. Both motions passed unanimously.

Board Member Thallia Gillis offered a motion to approve a new grant fund policy drafted by County Manager Glenn, which passed unanimously.

In public comments, Alfred Harden requested the Board begin an audit of the Treutlen County Tax Commissioner’s Office. Harden alleged the office had charged him and other residents for the same bills twice despite paying the first time.

“I’m here because I’m mad as hell about my taxes,” said Harden.

He also alleged the double billings were racially motivated against Black residents of Treutlen County.

“They need to be looked into, and I’ll say it like this, and I feel like it’s just in the Black community,” said Harden. “Negros that own property [are] being attacked with this situation.”

While both County Manager Glenn and County Attorney James Garner said Harden’s concerns were valid and that other residents had come forward with similar complaints, both claimed the Board of Commissioners had no legal authority to begin an audit of the tax commissioner’s office. Instead, Harden would have to contact the Governor Brian Kemp’s office to notify the Georgia Department of Revenue, which does have the authority to audit.

“It makes no sense,” said Garner. “It really doesn’t.”

The Board also promised to provide Harden with the necessary information to move forward with his complaint.

In department reports, Fire Chief John Johnson presented the Board with three proposals to consider. His forest proposal was a potential solution to alleviate certain residents’ insurance premiums.

A portion of Treutlen County bordering Montgomery County is outside of any five mile radius of any Treutlen County fire station, officially designating this area as a class 10 ISO area. Subsequently, residents living in those areas pay insurance premiums which Johnson described as “astronomical.”

Johnson proposed incorporating the property and road base within five miles of the nearest Tarrytown fire station, as well as renewing the automatic aid protocols with the Tarrytown Fire Department. Under automatic aid, Tarrytown fire fighters can respond immediately to fires in Treutlen County in the area in question.

Both Johnson and Tarrytown Fire Chief Don Snively cited a good working relationship between the two fire departments under the current mutual aid practices, as well as Tarrytown firefighters’ willingness to cover the area. 

“That partnership is already there,” said Johnson. “Don’s had a very good relationship with the former fire chiefs, both Sid and Lee, and we both agree that we can continue that very, very well, and we’ve already demonstrated that in the past.”

The plan would also cost the county nothing monetarily.

According to Chief Johnson, the partnership with Tarrytown would also bring Treutlen County’s firefighting coverage area up from 95 percent to 100 percent, which he said was “virtually unheard of.”

Second, Chief Johnson asked the Board to consider allocating funds from the SPLOST account to cover the purchase of new equipment for the fire department, including hoses and firefighting foam.

Third, Chief Johnson asked the Board to consider pursuing a 50/50 match grant offered by the Georgia Forestry Commission. According to Johnson, the grant matches 50 percent of the cost to purchase new firefighting equipment, with a cap of $5,000.

“So, it’s basically half price,” said Johnson.

One example Chief Johnson gave for a use for the grant was the purchase of wildfire gear for local firefighters. Treutlen County and Soperton firefighters are equipped with gear designed to fight structural fires, which is too heavy to combat wildfires without risk of stress-related injuries.

“It’s heavy, it’s cumbersome and there’s case after case [after] case, nationally documented, where structural gear being worn into wildland environment has led to heart attack and death, because of the extreme stress it puts on individuals wearing it,” said Johnson.

Snively backed up Johnson’s request, saying his department regularly applied for the grant. Chief Johnson also noted he was not asking for any of his requests to be voted on during the meeting, but rather that he was “planting seeds.”

Treutlen County EMA Director Justin McNure reported the county had received $4,954,060.50 in category A funds. According to McNure, the funds are intended to help the county pay off bills incurred by the aftermath of Hurricane Helene. 

“The way this works, basically, through a lot of talking and bringing our points across to some of the state and even federal level commissioners, representatives and things like that, they have basically got it to where they will release that money to us so we can pay our bills,” said McNure. “So, this is not money… where we can put it in there and live off of it.”

The Board also announced its meeting dates for its 2027 budget, including a work session on May 14 at 4:00 p.m. and a work session on May 18 at 5:00 p.m., followed by a public hearing the same day at 6:00 p.m. The final vote on the budget will be held on June 1.