LEWISTON – Two councilors Thursday said they were hearing only from people who want the city to continue its spring curbside trash collections.

City Administrator Jim Bennett said there was money in the budget for the collections this year, but not for next year.

The collections typically cost $40,000 to $50,000 per year.

Councilors are scheduled to decide the fate of the collections at their regular meeting Tuesday.

“I’m getting a lot of calls, and none of them are saying they want the collections to stop,” City Councilor Tom Peters said. “They all say to keep it.”

Councilor Betty Dube said she had the same experience.

“I’m getting so many calls on this topic, and they all want it,” she said. “At the very least, they want brush and branch collections.”

But Councilors Denis Theriault and Robert Reed said they had not had the same experience.

“Nobody has had anything bad to say,” Theriault said. “I’m getting no e-mails, no anything that says to keep it.”

Theriault said he was in favor of ending the annual trash pickup. The time city crews spend collecting trash would be better spent fixing city roads and sidewalks.

“Besides, for two months the city looks like a giant dump zone,” Theriault said. “We have enough problems without coating everything in the city in a deep canvas of trash.”

Mayor Larry Gilbert agreed.

“We’re trying to beautify the city, and this has the opposite effect,” he said.

Councilor Peters said he had to hear that sentiment from more citizens.

“I need people to know that I’m only hearing from people saying they want it,” he said. “If they want this to stop, they need to tell that to their councilor before next Tuesday’s meeting.”