Garbage was the topic of discussion at the Parryville Borough Council meeting this week.

Councilman Michael Grant was absent, and borough secretary Dana Brubraker joined in via telephone.During public comments, resident Joan Blose asked if Parryville could give senior citizens a discount for the garbage collection fee as other boroughs do.Mayor Dean Emrey said it might be a challenge to give discounts to senior citizens because the borough gets billed for the number of homes that would require the trash pickup service, and then equally divides the amount to all residents. By this method, someone paying less would mean others would have to pay more to make up the difference.Blose also questioned the practice of some residents putting a lot of garbage bins out, and wondered if the borough was checking into the limit of garbage per residence, and whether everyone is actually paying their garbage bills.Blose and resident Kathi Wolter aired their frustrations regarding a business owner who is allegedly distributing trash among several different residences in the borough.When Wolter asked if businesses pay more to the borough, Emrey clarified that businesses are supposed to be contracting for their own private garbage hauling, and that the borough does not pick up garbage from businesses.Emrey said the person has been billed for garbage fees for various properties he owns in the borough and that he is redistributing trash among his own properties.Emrey said, "I don't believe he should be able to drive that tractor on the street. These are things that we are addressing, and we pretty much all feel the same way. It is a point of contention."Other businessWolter who works at the Parryville Planning Commission, delivered a check during the public comments on behalf of the Bowmanstown-Parryville Lyons Club which donated $200 toward the Parryville Playground Association fund, which currently has $23,790 in its account. The borough hopes to raise at least $60,000 to be able to build a playground in town that would meet all safety requirements and building codes.Ralph Washburn made a motion to purchase a $200 air compressor for the borough's use, the motion was approved with the stipulation that no personal use of the compressor should be allowed.Borough solicitor Robert Frycklund made a motion to appoint a two-person committee for overseeing the interviewing and hiring process for possible vacancies in the zoning and code enforcement offices to avoid problems with the Sunshine Act or require an executive meeting. Emrey and Washburn were voted to be the committee.Council Vice President Cathy Hawk made a motion to approve an agreement for Parryville to participate in the Carbon County Council of Governments. This initiative will enable the borough to take advantage of group discounts and facilitated equipment as part of a coalition made possible by other participating townships and boroughs that make certain negotiations and grant applications possible. The motion was approved.