The Newton City Council has unanimously decided to stay with longtime, local garbage and recycling collector Dodds Solid Waste and Recycling in Newton. The current contract with Dodds owners David and Liz Dodd was set to expire on June 30th. Dodds does manual collection, and the Newton City Council received bids from Midwest Sanitation of Pella and Waste Management of Des Moines, which provide automated collection. All three companies had representatives speak at Monday night’s council meeting, but the council decided to stay with Dodds. Second Ward Councilwoman Melissa Dalton said that the longtime community involvement of the Dodds and comments from residents carried the most weight in helping her in the decision process.

“As a business owner in this community myself, it’s amazing to see the support. I see Liz and Dave often. I see them participating in not only the trash side of things for the city, but in different activities and events without the Dodds name. I don’t feel I would be doing my job as an elected official if I didn’t listen to the residents of this town.”

Dodds is a third generation company that has handled garbage collection in Newton for over 45 years. The City expects to sign another five year agreement with Dodds, and based on their proposal, Newton Public Works Director Joe Grife says billed customers who currently pay $15.16 per month for garbage and recycling collection will see the fee climb to $18.05 per month.