Page in September presented the Laurel City Council with a stack of petitions from residents opposing the change without ample garbage storage bins to accommodate the garbage under the city’s garbage collection changes.

Following the meeting Wednesday, Page requested her petitions back from the city.

Officials said the city’s new garbage plan, which took effect on Aug. 4, is designed to reduce cost.

Residents in the city, who once enjoyed two days of garbage collections, began receiving one-day a week collection.

Based on a four-day work week, the city went to a two-day garbage pickup schedule instead of a four-day pickup schedule. With this change, the city has projected that there will be a $61,568.52 savings per year.

Under the new plan, residents whose garbage was picked up on Monday and Thursday are now having Monday only pickup. Those residents who were on the Tuesday and Friday schedule now have Tuesday only pickup.

Also as a part of the change, the city’s Public Works Department went to a four-day work week.

Officials said because it is a utility fund, the garbage collection fund must pay for itself.

“We are already working two months into our fiscal year,” Wheat said. “We have a $330,000 shortfall in the sanitation fund that needs to be addressed.”

During Wednesday’s meeting, one citizen asked officials “where is the shortfall?” No one answered.

Laurel Chief Administrative Officer Gary Suddith said the high gas cost was “only a small portion” of why the changes were necessary. He said the four-day work week for public works was designed to also cut overtime.

However, city council members said something needs to be done to resolve the water and sewer issues.

“We’ve heard the cry of the citizens. We are listening to what you are saying,” Councilwoman Willie Evans said. “We, as a city, have got to do something. ... We need to come up with something to stop costing the city money.”

Suddith gave the council a breakdown of the cost for a one-day pick up, a two-day pickup and the cost for providing containers for the residents.

Suddith said to provide garbage containers to the city’s 8,000 customers would cost more than $300,000.