AMY SZPARA

LAPLACE – Dozens of senior citizens were angry Monday morning when they learned that instead of paying a flat fee of $5 a month for garbage collection service, they would be paying just $1 less than the rest of St. John the Baptist Parish. After visiting the Service Center to receive the discount, they were turned away and told they had received inaccurate information. The seniors became interested in getting the $5 deal after an ordinance stating that “a fee of five dollars ($5.00) per month will be charged to any head of household who is sixty-two (62) years or older” was discussed at a recent parish council meeting. However, according to parish administration, the ordinance was written in 1986 when the garbage fee was only $6, and the intent was to simply lower the cost to seniors by $1. With a new garbage rate for the parish having been introduced at the recent meeting and rejected by the council, the parish administration is questioning how it will be able to pay the new garbage collection company, Waste Management Inc., which began parishwide service on Aug. 1. At the same time, administration officials said there is no way the parish can give seniors the discount and keep the rates down for the rest of the residents. According to Parish President Nickie Monica, it was never the intent that residents would only pay $5. “We have 1,000 senior citizens out of 1,500 using the provision to pay $1 less each month. One thousand who have filled out the proper paperwork. “Not one has had a $5 rate. That was never the intent,” Monica said. An ordinance for a rate adjustment to residents from $10.45 to $12.65 was reintroduced to the council Aug. 14 after the council voted against the ordinance twice at an Aug. 9 meeting. Wording was added to the ordinance at the Aug. 14 meeting which reads, “Upon application and proof of age, a $1 discount per month will be allowed to any Head of Household who is 62 years of age or older (senior citizen).” According to Monica, the sentence was added to the ordinance to make the intent more clear. At the Aug. 9 meeting, the council voted against the increase in garbage collection rates twice as Councilman Duaine Duffy asked for a reconsideration of the ordinance. During the Aug. 14 meeting, the ordinance was reintroduced and the council is expected to vote on the ordinance again at the next scheduled meeting Aug. 28.