Alamo City Council Amends Contract for Sludge

The Alamo City Council reviewed proposed changes to a contract pertaining to the city’s “sludge” during their regular monthly meeting on Aug. 17 in the Alamo City Hall.

The council reviewed its contract with Republic Services, a waste treatment and disposal company, pertaining to the transport of “sludge,” a material produced in the city’s waste water treatment plants. According to City Manager Jeffery Floyd, the material resembles store-bought peat moss used for growing plants.

The original contract stipulated three locations Alamo could transport its sludge, which include Toombs County, Telfair County and Republic Services’ own site. However, Toombs County will no longer accept the material from Alamo, and Republic Services reduced the transportation price from $750 per haul and $70 per ton to $600 per haul and $60 per ton. 

“What we’re asking for tonight is to approve the contract as long as the attorney’s good with it,” said Floyd.

The contract comes with two sides: one related to the business aspect of the deal, and the other pertaining to abnormal materials in the sludge, which would be the responsibility of the city.

“If the material’s not right, we would be responsible,” said Floyd.

Council Member Patricia Woodard offered a motion to extend the contract changes though to the end of the contract, which passed unanimously. The contract will end in February.

Floyd suggested the council officially set a date in September to host a public meeting pertaining to the city’s 2027 budget. The proposed budget will be made “available to anyone who wants to look at it” prior to the meeting.

One notable budget change Floyd noted was the budget for the Alamo City Police Department, with changes to salary and equipment. When Council Member Woodard asked if the changes were due to the department’s implementation of Flock Safety cameras, Interim Police Chief Roy Adams took the opportunity to defend the use of the cameras.

“The public don’t understand that they are being tracked every day as long as they’ve got a cell phone,” said Adams. “That camera does the same thing a cellphone does, it just does it by a tag number instead of a phone number.”

The Alamo Police Department currently uses three Flock Safety cameras, and Adams hopes to receive a grant to implement several more and replace other equipment for his officers, such as a broken radio.

The city is also considering replacing a dump truck with a Ford F-250 with a dump trailer, which will factor into the city’s SPLOST budget.

Council Member Dondrea Geter offered a motion to schedule a public hearing on the budget prior to the council’s next regular meeting on September 21, which passed unanimously.

In the next meeting, Floyd aims to make amendments to the city’s ordinances pertaining to stray dogs in regards to its animal shelter and local rental properties.