Faced with a possible $442,000 solid waste budget deficit,Brookhaven aldermen Tuesday moved closer to privatization ofservices with a decision to hear proposals from two major privateoperators.

During an over two-hour work session that focused heavily ongarbage woes, aldermen and other city officials discussed a varietyof options to address the situation. Revenue for next year wasprojected at just over $1 million, but expenditures for personnel,over $283,000 for needed equipment and other expenses totaled morethan $1.47 million.

“This solid waste picture is scary,” said Mayor Pro Temp TerryBates, who was filling in Mayor Bill Godbold, who was ill.

Ideas mentioned last night included combining commercial andresidential routes to reduce overlap; the city’s running thegarbage transfer station, although the city lost $90,000 in anearlier three-month experiment; solid waste department personnelreductions and cutting back pick up from twice a week to once aweek.

Officials, though, said the city was still looking at limitedrevenue sources that include user fees and a small property taxlevy. In their current form, solid waste services are costing morethan the city is receiving in revenue.

“Nobody wants to face the reality that we’re not going to beable to survive in garbage,” said Ward 1 Alderman Dorsey Cameron,adding that Brookhaven is the only community in the area stilloperating its own garbage services.

At one point, Ward 4 Alderman Bob Massengill suggested a panelof three aldermen meet with solid waste and billing officials todevelop a recommendation in time for the next board meeting in twoweeks.

“We’ve been elected to come up with a sound business decisionfor the taxpayers…,” Massengill said. “We can be here untilmidnight talking about this one thing.”

With the solid waste department continuing to lose money, CityClerk Iris Rudman said the city would eventually not be able tomake payroll. Personnel expenses for currently 25 employees nowtotal over $790,000.

After agreeing to have Godbold, Massengill and Ward 6 AldermanJohn E. “Buddy” Allen develop a recommendation, aldermen revisitedthe issue toward the end of the work session. Privatization was thefocus of the later discussion as board member opted to haverepresentatives from BFI and Waste Management appear at nextTuesday’s work session.

Aldermen want to get private cost estimates for once and twice aweek residential pick up service and three times a week commercialservice. Officials also want to explore the possible costs forcustomer billing by the private companies.

“Let them do the whole thing,” said Alderman at large LesBumgarner.

Board members also agreed to talk with Godbold before the nextsession to update him on plans. Godbold has been a proponent ofcity-operated services, saying it is one of a few city servicesthat directly affects people’s lives.

Other officials, however, said a decision must be made on solidwaste. Allen said he had been in favor of the city keeping theservices, but he was now changing his mind about privatization.

“I’m at a point where I’m willing to listen,” Allen said.

Cameron said communities that had gone to private collectionswere glad to be out of the garbage business. He continued to voicesupport for private contractor service.

“If they can do it, that’s what we need to do,” Cameronsaid.