The city of Troy’s landfill has been closed to the public since April, but its plans to complete the process are in the works.

Public Works director Vaughn Daniels came before the Troy City Council prior to its regular meeting Tuesday to discuss the plan that hopes to have the landfill completely closed by mid-October.

“For the final closure, we have to jump through a lot of hoops and get the ADEM’s (Alabama Department of Environmental management) approval,” said Troy Mayor Jimmy Lunsford.

But, in addition to details of state requirements, the city has to work out some details of its own, including, where to put trash.

Lunsford said it is likely the city will use the services of Pike County Landfill as a place to dispose of waste, but officials are exploring alternative options for items that wouldn’t necessarily have to be placed in a landfill.

Those would be things like limbs or grass clippings that the city of Troy now picks up from residents’ as part of the regular garbage pickup service.

“One option would be to have someone grind them for us or find somewhere else to put it that would minimize our costs,” Daniels said.

In using the Pike County Landfill for services, Daniels said the company plans to negotiate with the city to make the most beneficial deal for taxpayers, either charging $3.50 per cubic yard or $20 per ton.

“For the first month we’ll try to get a general idea of what each truck is bringing to come up with an accurate count, and they’ve agreed to let it be mostly toward our advantage,” Daniels said.

The unknown will be the costs, if any, of disposal of trees and limbs.

Still, Lunsford said he thinks the landfill’s closure and its new fees for payment will balance each other out.

“It should be a wash or a minor savings,” Lunsford said.

In this, he said he also doesn’t foresee any fee changes to garbage pickup for city’s residents.

Daniels said he hopes to begin to advertise bids for work to complete the closure by July 5 and award them July 26.

He expects work will start in the first of August, leaving the landfill closed for good by mid-October.

Once the land is closed, the city will not be able to use the land for building.

“It will just be there, and we have to maintain (it) for 20 years,” Daniels said.