As Jay considers getting a new vendor for trash and recycling pickup, the Select Board has been fielding complaints from residents about trash strewn across roadways or not being picked up at all.

The board agreed Monday to explore options for possibly replacing the current provider, Archie’s of Mexico.

The board agreed to develop and issue a request for proposals for curbside pickup and single sort recycling, Town Manager Shiloh LaFreniere said.

A request for proposals is a formal process used by municipalities to invite companies to submit offers for providing services.

The board’s decision means Jay will solicit bids this fall or early winter, with the goal of having costs ready for budget discussions in December or January. Any new contract would go to voters for approval in April and take effect July 1.

LaFreniere said the cost for curbside pickup this year is $154,511, with roughly 1,950 qualifying stops. While that works out to about $80 per stop, the service is not billed per stop but funded through the town budget, meaning all taxpayers contribute whether they use curbside pickup or not. The expense equals about $25 per $100,000 of property value, or roughly $62 a year for a $250,000 home.

Archie’s brings recyclables to a facility in Farmington.

The board had previously discussed extending Archie’s contract, but concerns were raised about the terms. LaFreniere said the proposal “is not what was envisioned.” She noted that last time bids were sought, Archie’s was the only bid submitted.

During public comment, a resident described trash being “strewed all over the street” and sitting there for a week when not picked up. Questions were raised about how many households currently put trash out and how recycling is handled.

On Facebook, many residents have expressed frustration with missed pickups. One poster wrote, “For 4 weeks our trash hasn’t been picked up. We can’t burn it, (because) of the drought, so it’s accumulating.”

Another said, “It’s actually REALLY easy to make people happy when it comes to providing them with a service they pay for. All you have to do is… provide the service.”

Others worried about the strain if residents were asked to bring trash to the transfer station themselves. “The dump isn’t set up for heavy traffic,” one person said, while another pointed out the difficulty for elderly neighbors who cannot manage hauling trash on their own.

Some residents, however, defended the current service. One person reported no issues, saying Archie’s comes to their home at 5:30 a.m. every Thursday. Another said the service is “a benefit” despite the cost.