Large item pickup in New Tecumseth will go forward for at least one more year.

After a committee of the whole meeting earlier this month it seemed council would scrap the curbside service. Monday night council approved a recommendation to continue the collections and work with the county to ensure there are improvements.

Counc. Dennis Egan said his opinion swayed from the initial option after talking to a municipality without large item pickup.

“Go forth with the collection for one more year and in the interim work with the county and the collector in order to streamline it so that it becomes effective,” said Egan.

He was concerned with the unknown cost of the voucher system and suggested an alternative would be a computerized system at the landfill. This system would require residents to show identification at the landfill and the amount for that day would be deducted from their account. The proposed vouchers would be a one-time use with no change being made.

Egan said the software would be an easy system and relieve the municipality from administrative work associated with the voucher.

Counc. Jim Stone was adamant the town still needs a more effective way of getting the message out. The recommendation does include visible advertising be done four weeks prior to each pickup. Leaflets will also be given to municipal staff on the road to better inform residents of the guidelines.

Monday night’s decision is still only a temporary solution.

“No matter what option we’re looking at, none are viable for the long-term,” said Counc. Barbara Huson, who is worried about the cost of the last pickup repeating itself.