NATCHEZ — Natchez officially signed on the dotted line Wednesday evening for its new waste and recycling disposal contract with Arrow Disposal Services Inc.

City aldermen unanimously voted to execute the contract, which is for twice weekly garbage collection and weekly recycling pickup at a rate of $17.45 per residence — a nearly $4 increase from what residents currently pay. Of that total, $13.45 will go toward waste collection, while the remaining $4 covers recycling costs.

The city also will continue to charge $1 per month year round for mosquito spraying.

A rate hike was expected leading up to this contract, as executives from current hauler Waste Pro had also said a rate increase would be likely if they were awarded the contract.

The city is currently working out when Waste Pro will come by to collect carts from all residents. Waste Pro’s final collection day will be May 31.

Small businesses in the city’s central business district will pay an additional $2.50 for recycling, while the rates for curbside garbage pickup will be the same as what residents pay, City Attorney Bob Latham said.

Latham also said ADSI planned to house its offices on Kelly Avenue at the site of old Titan Tire facility, though Ward 2 Alderman Billie Joe Frazier objected to this point because of concerns from his constituents, Frazier said.

Additionally, Ward 6 Alderman Dan Dillard stressed that he wanted ADSI to seek local employment to the fullest extent possible, which Ward 4 Alderwoman Felicia Irving and Natchez Mayor Darryl Grennell said they believed would occur based on their discussions with ADSI executives.

After the meeting, Natchez Mayor Darryl Grennell said he did not foresee any problems with ADSI having its trucks and 65-gallon waste carts in place for June 1, when the new hauling services begin. ADSI officials had mentioned some concern regarding this issue in weeks prior because of how late the decision was being made by the city.

“They indicated to us that they were going to get the vehicles and the containers in place during this transition,” Grennell said. “We should not have any delay in that process. That is critical that when we go from Waste Pro into the new company, that transition flows easy.”

One small delay, however, would be possible: the recycling carts might come a week late because of the need to accommodate differently colored bins — green for waste and blue for recycling  — Grennell said.

As for where the materials will go, the contract stipulates that all waste will continue to go to Riverbend Landfill in Fayette, which still has several years remaining on its contract with the city, Latham said. Xpress Recycling will process the city’s recyclables.