VIDALIA — The Concordia Parish Police Jury voted Monday to notify the parish’s current trash hauler of the jury’s desire to seek bids on the parish’s waste contract.

The decision is based mainly on a desire by the jury to avoid a $270,000 increase in annual costs had the parish renewed its current contract — set to expire at the end of the year — with Waste Pro for an additional two years.

Additionally, District 3-B Juror Whest Shirley said new proposals could bring the possibility of getting a knuckle boom truck for limb pickup and potentially charging based on the number of water meters in service in order to get a more accurate estimate of how many households are serviced.

A week ago, jury president Jimmy Wilkinson said the parish only had 4,382 active water meters, though the current waste contract is for 5,000 households.

At Monday’s meeting, Shirley made the motion to notify Waste Pro of the decision to put solid waste collection services out for bidding, and District 2 Juror Willie Dunbar seconded.

When Wilkinson entertained any discussion, Waste Pro Division Manager Doug Atkins said the company was fine with the jury’s decision.

One parish resident, Leo Ivy, did take advantage of the opportunity for discussion, lamenting the current state of garbage pickup in the parish.

“All I know is half the time the garbage is picked up, and half the time it’s not,” Ivy said.

Referring to limb pickup, Ivy said sometimes his limbs are not collected even after cutting them down to 4-foot pieces, as Waste Pro requires.

In response, District 1-B juror Joseph Parker said Ivy’s issues would “hopefully” be resolved with the next waste contract.

“In the new bid, we’re going to put in the language about a truck to just pick up limbs,” Parker said. “So whoever gets that contract … it shouldn’t be a problem with limbs.”

The jury unanimously approved the motion to notify Waste Pro and begin the bid-seeking process. Jurors Jerry Beatty, Jimmy Jernigan and Red Tiffee were absent from the meeting.