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The City of Mountain Home is making some changes before it rings in the New Year.
Last Thursday, the Mountain Home City Council approved the sale of Methvin Sanitation, the city’s contracted trash service pickup, to Waste Connections, the third-largest waste company in the United States.
Additionally, City Council passed a resolution accepting $250,000 worth of state aid for various road projects around the city and approved a resolution restricting the city’s Water and Street Departments underneath a newly created Planning and Engineering Department.
Methvin Sanitation
Methvin Sanitation has officially sold to Waste Connections, the country’s third-largest waste company.
The sale comes on the heels of Mark Methvin’s retirement announcement. As the owner of Methvin Sanitation, Methvin has overseen the city’s trash collection for years while providing local jobs to the area.
He is retiring to spend more time with his family and grandchildren.
As the holder of the city’s waste contract, Methvin needed City Council approval to finalize the sale of his business to Waste Connections. The council approved the sale in a unanimous decision.
Jay Matthis, a representative of Waste Connections, attended the meeting and told the council that Waste Connections plans to keep things in Mountain Home the way they already are. The company will continue to use Methvin-marked waste trucks and will continue the company’s practice of providing Spring and Fall pickups, as well as recycling.
All routes will stay the same. Waste Connections will continue to use Methvin’s telephone number for those needing assistance or more information surrounding their waste pickup.
Mountain Home’s residential waste contract with Waste Connections will run until the Fall 2024.
“I’d like to say thank you to the City of Mountain Home. It’s been a pleasure to provide your service, and you’ve been great to work with. You won’t know the difference, and Jay Matthis is going to continue on in the same spots with the same trucks picking up. I want to say thank you,” said Mark Methvin during Thursday’s meeting.
Aid for street improvements
City Council has approved a resolution accepting $250,000 in State aid from the Arkansas Department of Transportation to help overlay some of the city’s new asphalt.
The city’s Street Department is preparing to lay new asphalt in several of the city’s downtown streets, including Hickory, Dyer, and West 1st and West 2nd streets. The work will be done by ARDOT crews as agreed upon in the aid package.
The City of Mountain Home will be on the hook for expenses over the initial $250,000.
Departmental restructuring
The biggest change of the night came with the approval of a departmental restructuring throughout the city.
Under the new plan, Street Department head Arnold Knox will take on a new role as the city’s Director of Planning and Engineering for its new Department of Planning and Engineering and will oversee both the Street and Water departments.
Knox has served the city for many years and has gained a plethora of experience while serving the city. During the meeting, Mountain Home Mayor Hillrey Adams, who has been overseeing the city’s Water Department himself after its former director, Alma Clark, took on her new role as city treasurer, said that Knox was the man to oversee the new department and was ready for more responsibilities.
Under his new role, Knox will be responsible for planning and completing the city’s long-term projects.
In addition to Knox’s new role, the city is creating a new position for the Director of Public Works, who will oversee the day-to-day operations of the city’s Water and Street Departments. The new position is expected to be filled within the new few months.
Both of these new positions are a reclassification of the previous director positions at Street and Water. Because of this, both positions are already funded under the city’s budget. Knox and Adams assured the council that the restructuring would not occur until the city finds a Director of Public Works.
Knox said that the transition would not impact work crews.
