MOULTRIE, Ga. — Moultrie City Council has approved a budget amendment to purchase dumpsters for the upcoming Sunbelt Ag Expo.

The budget amendment was due to the “six-week lead time” for purchasing of the dumpsters, according to City Manager Pete Dillard. The Moultrie City Council budget is renewed every October, which in previous years would allow the purchase of the dumpsters to happen shortly before the Expo began.

“The money to get the dumpsters usually comes out of next year’s budget. But due to the rise in steel pricing and its availability, we have to get them sooner this year,” said Dillard.

The total purchase of the 35 dumpsters totals out to $50,000.

“A few months ago the prices would’ve been our usual $700,” said City Clerk Tina Coleman. “They are now $1,400 per unit.”

The amendment carried five to zero and purchase of the dumpsters will occur sometime in August, according to Dillard. 

The council also held three public hearings regarding rezoning requests. Those requests were:

• Dannard Robison requested to rezone 0.044 acres of land at 109 Evelyn Drive to install a new septic tank.
• J & J Success, LLC requested to rezone 1.02 acres of land at McIntosh Place and Baell Trace Court to open a development and construction office.
• W. Lynn Laseter and Sonia Wilcox requested to rezone 2 acres of land at 650 Veterans Parkway North in order to build a commercial space.

Director of Planning and Community Development Stephen Godley presented the rezoning recommendations to the council. No issues were found in his reports for rezoning. The council approved all three rezonings.