Pike County administrator Harry Sanders and garbage enforcement officer Sam Green have been answering a lot of phone calls since the county's new garbage collection contract went into effect.

"We've had lots of calls from a lot of folks," Sanders said.

Many of those calls, he said, were about the $3.45 per month increase in garbage collection rates and confusion over fee rebates.

The county commission awarded a new garbage collection contract to Arrow Disposal Service, who was the lowest of four bidders for the county's business.

County residents received initial bills of $40.35, a quarterly rate that covers collection service from April through June.

Some county residents, however, had already paid the county in advance and are due refunds.

"We are researching the records right now to determine who paid beyond March, and those payments will be refunded," Sanders said. "All we can do is ask people to be patient with us."

State law requires the county issue refunds directly to the payer, rather than being able to transfer those fees to Arrow.

Gentry Shows, senior vice president for Arrow, said that although there has been some initial confusion, collection services have gone well, and calls are tapering off in the company's offices. The company began distribution of pink informational flyers yesterday to address frequent questions.