Trash company seeking slight rate reduction

Local residents may see a slight reduction on their respective rates for trash disposal, depending on how the Pahrump Town Board votes on Tuesday.

Pahrump Valley Disposal officials are requesting that the Town Board decrease the diesel fuel surcharge by 1.26 percent.

The result would save ratepayers a modest 17 cents each month.

Pahrump Town Board member Amy Riches this week said she may support the item.

“I think it’s fantastic that they’re doing that,” she said. “If they get the fuel reduction, they usually will pass it on to their customers because they are known to be very fair with their customers. They got a fuel reduction and probably that’s why they are asking to decrease the fuel surcharge.”

Town Board Chairman Harley Kulkin said the company, from time to time, has approached the town to request the reduction.

In 2012, the town board granted the disposal company’s request to decrease the surcharge by 1.03 percent, from 5.92 percent to 4.89 percent. The action became effective June 1, 2012.

“Pahrump Valley Disposal has been very good about that,” Kulkin said. “They’ve done that numerous times and they’ve been great about not trying to milk every dollar they can get from their customers.”

Town Board Vice Chair Bill Dolan was equally gratified with the proposal.

“For the many different years that I spent on the board, in hard times, Pahrump Valley Disposal came to the town and asked for an increase in diesel fuel,” he said. “There has also been several times that when the fuel rates went down, they came back and asked for a reduction. They have been very good community partners with the town.”

Additionally, Dolan said the company is not necessarily required to report a reduction in the cost of diesel fuel.

“Once you give them the increase, you can go back and ask for a reduction if we tracked that,” he said. “We don’t really track it that closely because it’s really up to the company to be stand-up in their community. We don’t know how many other communities would actually have them do this. Has Republic ever offered to reduce fees for Las Vegas or Clark County? I would have to say probably not. This is the third time that Pahrump Valley Disposal have come back and asked for a reduction.”

The Pahrump Town Board is expected to decide on the item during the Tuesday, Dec. 9 meeting that starts at 6 p.m.

It will be the final scheduled meeting for the Pahrump Town Board as a governing body.