Latrobe is ramping up for its takeover of garbage hauling services in the city next year, with moves to fill a new administrative post and to strike a deal on used collection containers.
City council this week promoted Melanie McGregor, an hourly sanitation department clerk, to the new salaried role of assistant director of public works and sanitation.
McGregor, who has worked for the city since May 2023, will earn $65,000 in her new role. She’ll move from her work space at city hall to a new office, joining public works director Scott Wajdic at the city’s solid waste transfer station on Mission Road.
Wajdic said McGregor primarily will focus on overseeing the city’s new in-house collection of garbage and recyclable items left at curbside by residents. City garbage trucks will be based at the transfer station.
“It also leaves somebody as a department head if I’m off for a day,” Wajdic said.
McGregor said she expects existing city staff will be reshuffled to handle her former job.
City Manager Terry Carcella said Latrobe likely will look this summer to hire a few additional workers as it prepares to take over collection and hauling tasks in 2026. Current hauler Republic Services’ contract with the city expires at year’s end.
Carcella said Latrobe officials determined the city could handle the operation rather than engage an outside contractor.
“We can do it for less than subbing the work out,” he said.
Latrobe was able to hold garbage fees steady for residents this year. While rates have yet to be set for 2026, Carcella said, “We anticipate they’ll be pretty close to where we are now.”
Current quarterly fees are $70 for residents who leave trash in individual bags for collection and $85 for those who use “toter” containers provided by Republic.
As has been the case under the Republic contract, the residential garbage fee will cover collection of recyclable items — including class 1 and 2 plastics and aluminum and tin cans.
Council agreed to purchase the 1,048 blue toters Republic currently has in place in Latrobe — at $30 each, for a total cost of $31,440. It will cost another 77 cents each to affix stickers claiming the toters as part of the city’s new collection program.
Compared to the cost of purchasing new collection containers, Carcella said, “It’s a huge savings for us. It’s probably going to save the city $70,000.”
Carcella said a majority of Latrobe’s residential garbage customers — about 2,000 — use the bag collection service, which will continue to be offered.
About 200 of the Republic toters Latrobe is buying are assigned to commercial customers and will provide the city a surplus inventory for residential customers who may decide to switch from the bag service.
Latrobe has approved a five-year contract with City Hauling, which will take over collection of refuse from commercial customers. In 2026, the commercial rates will range from $25.17 for bagged trash to $214.20 to an eight-yard bin of refuse.
For remaining years, most rates will be subject to annual 4% increases. Rates for trash in bags or toters will rise by 8.5% in years two and three of the agreement.
Council authorized creation of a Facebook account for the public works and sanitation department.
McGregor said it will be used to post notices of any emergency situations and to alert residents concerning winter snow plow routes and any delays or changes in garbage collection.
“We can put updates out in real time.” she said.
McGregor said she has found many people have been turning to community social media outlets to get information about Latrobe public works operations rather than relying on the city’s website or its postings through the Savvy Citizen app.
Wajdic said the city has taken delivery of a roll-off truck that will be used to transport city municipal refuse to a local landfill.
Council hired Ken Gaughan of Greensburg to drive the truck, under the city’s union contract with the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees.
Jess Schober was hired as a part-time clerical worker, at 24 hours per week, with duties across multiple departments. She’ll split her time between chores at city hall and filling in as a meter attendant and as weigh master for items outside parties drop off at the transfer station.
Council terminated two other public works employees, one of whom had yet to complete a required probationary period and another who reportedly has been on an extended leave and was unable to return to work.
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Officials indicated the city likely will use $16,000 in remaining pandemic relief funding for improvements at the transfer station.
Wajdic said the building’s baseboard heating system is inadequate and needs to be upgraded.
“We were down to 52 degrees or colder this past winter,” he said.