Peachtree City may investigate a franchise-type agreement for trash hauling in the city, but one major factor in determining whether to do that may be missing: the amount of garbage generated in the city.

During discussion on the Comprehensive Solid Waste Management Plan (SWMP) at last week's council meeting, city engineer Troy Besseche encouraged looking into a trash-hauling franchise "similar to what was done on natural gas, to try to lower rates for our customers." There is no clear idea how much household garbage is hauled off now, he added.

The present situation, said City Manager Jim Basinger, is such that more than one hauler may service the same subdivision, "and that causes a lot of wear and tear on the streets, and makes it hard to determine what our numbers are." Besseche said that since there are now only two or three haulers who service Peachtree City, asking for proposals from them would "not create a burden" in what he described as a "loosely regulated free market."

Citizens would still have the right to choose their own hauler, Besseche said, just as they do with the gas agreement. He added that he felt the city should look at trying to use one hauler to get a better handle on reducing landfill deposits by 25 percent, as called for in the comprehensive SWMP for all of Fayette County.

Council approved a staff investigation of a possible garbage franchise, and a resolution authorizing the Peachtree City portion of the SWMP to be sent to the Atlanta Regional Commission and state Department of Community Affairs as part of a five-year update. Basinger said "it makes sense to take a look" at the franchise.

Mayor Bob Lenox commented that it might be hard to know how to reduce landfill trash by one-fourth when "you don't know what you've got now."

In other business, the council:

Ratified a contract with Peachtree Natural Gas, a marketing affiliate of Coweta-Fayette EMC, to provide natural gas for the city. Basinger said the agreement would save the city about $4,000 for the month of January.

Added streets in Smokerise Plantation and Smokerise Estates, between Peachtree Parkway and Ga. Highway 54, to those streets on which heavy trucks are prohibited, at the request of residents and the police chief.

Approved an alcohol license for Mexico City Gourmet restaurant at 100 Peachtree Parkway.

Tabled consideration of a proposed wording change in the ordinance which specifies an 11 p.m. stop time for council meetings. Several council members said they felt that any rewording should provide for the council to have flexibility to extend discussion on a particular item past the 11 p.m. time if needed. The action is being considered in the wake of the last-minute vote on The Mews project Jan. 7.