The Selma City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to transition the current waste management program and trash pick-up to a private company.

The specifics of the transition of garbage pick-up to the company Advanced Disposal, will be looked over by the administrative committee and details are to be ironed out before the official switch that Mayor George Evans hopes to see happen in January or February of 2013.

“I’ll assure you that based on the numbers we have and the numbers the garbage company has given us we are going to come out ahead,” Evans said, adding Advanced Disposal has offered to buy all of the current city equipment for trash pick-up. “This [transition] will just take a lot off of our hands and they are buying everything — all of the equipment — so we will actually make a few dollars off of them.”

The city’s tax and license director, Roosevelt Goldsby announced in Tuesday’s council work session that there are thousands of dollars in unpaid bills for the city’s trash pick-up system.

Another topic of discussion was how to get those residents who dump their trash on the streets and are allusive about paying their bills, to cooperate with the new company. Evans said it was his initial understanding that those individuals who dumped trash would be cited.

“Our next step will be to meet with the company and get more feedback from them, and along with the committee and the council to make sure everybody is on the same dynamic of how step-by-step we go through with it,” Evans said.

Once all paperwork of the transfer is completed, Evans said the council plans to setup community and ward meetings so that everyone is knowledgeable on what is going on.

“This is a good program for us and thankfully we can get out of debt because this is hurting us financially,” Evans said.

Regardless of the status of the garbage company transition, it is vital all those currently using the service re-certify their service and also those who file exemptions have that time period to do so between Oct. 31 and Dec. 31 of this year.

All details of how specifics will work and how bills are to paid will come later as the council works through the paperwork of the transition.