County considering trash stick price increase

Dubois County officials discussed increasing the price of trash stickers from $1.50 to $2.00 to help fund upgrades and equipment purchases for the program.

Highway Superintendent Donnie Lueken provided an overview of expenses for the countywide service as part of a five-year plan for sanitation upgrades. The county maintains eight trash and recyclable dump sites in Jasper, Huntingburg, Ireland, Ferdinand, Dubois, Pine Ridge, Haysville, and Holland.

Lueken told commissioners the department is facing some expenses in the near future, including a new sanitation truck next year that costs over $275,000, as well as procuring a new property for the Holland site.

Lueken also advocated that the county consider purchasing all future sites for the service due to the situation in Holland, in which the property changed hands and the new owner is not continuing the lease with the county.

The commission invited public input on the increase.

“We provide a good service, but we’re not making money on it. We actually lose money, but it’s an important public service,” Commissioner Chad Blessinger said, before tabling the decision until the next meeting