COVINGTON, Ga. – The Covington City Council gave City Manager Leigh Anne Knight the go-ahead Monday morning to pursue an RFP (Request for Proposals) for where to dump trash collected in the city.

The move comes after Knight briefed members during a work session at City Hall on higher tipping fees Covington will be charged to dump at the Newton County landfill effective Jan. 1. 

Knight said county Solid Waste Manager Kevin Walter notified the city last week that its tipping fees at the landfill will be increasing from $36 to $40 per ton. She said the 12.5 percent increase could amount to $82,000 more a year for the city.

Other haulers are currently paying the $40 per ton rate.

Knight told members that the city will look at a one-year contract initially. She said the city hopes to have the RFP ready shortly allowing the council to make a decision in December.

Council members and Mayor Ronnie Johnston agreed the increase should not be passed on to the city’s residents.

“We owe it to our constituents to bid this out to make sure we have a more competitive and fair price,” Johnston said.