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The Thorsby Town Council approved the town’s new garbage ordinance during its Sept. 5 meeting.

The ordinance had been talked about for several meetings and even included a work session with the sole purpose of discussing any issues that the council members had concerning it.

It was approved after Mayor Robert Hight voted to pass the proposed ordinance, following a tie vote by the council. Marilyn Collins and Marvin Crumpton voted in favor of the ordinance, while Neil Benson and Glenn Littleton opposed it.

The approved garbage ordinance will be beneficial to the town in the long run, as it is designed to be more efficient and save the town money by allowing less manpower to operate a truck, according to Hight.

The new truck will be a side loader with a claw that picks up individual cans and can be operated by one person.

Specialized trash cans have been ordered by the town for residents along the route and will begin to be distributed.

Benson and Littleton opposed the ordinance after raising questions about the finances involved with the ordinance that may affect the residents.

One can will be provided per household with the option available to purchase extra cans.

Solutions continue to be searched for concerning the situation of drivers running the stop signs at the intersection of Alabama Avenue and Franklin Street.

Public works director Terry Jackson brought forth a possible fix for the continuing problem.

Jackson presented the idea of building the town’s own rumble strips using a material commonly found in machine shops.

According to Jackson, rumble strips can be made and placed prior to each sign of the four-way stop for an estimated $500. That would be vastly cheaper than purchasing the rumble strips through a company.

The council unanimously approved implementing the rumble strips.

“Hopefully it will cure the problem,” Hight said.

In other news from the meeting:

• The council approved the employee safety handbook discussed at the previous meeting.
• The council approved an increase of the base business license fee from $10 to $12, to match the rest of the areas in the county.
• The council approved bidding out for three trucks and a mini excavator to fill the needs of the water department.
• The fire department currently has personnel in school and is expecting to have more paramedics within the next year.
• The council approved the minutes from the Aug. 21 Council meeting.