IRON MOUNTAIN — Residents will have a chance next week to offer input on Iron Mountain’s plan to switch to automated trash pickups.

The city council has scheduled a special session for 6 p.m. Monday, July 25, at City Hall to hear comments or concerns. Each household is to receive a 95-gallon wheeled cart, with all collections moved from alleys to the street. Residents will be able to acquire additional carts at $1.50 per month.

During Monday’s council meeting, City Manager Jordan Stanchina noted Escanaba and Gladstone have used automated collections for a number of years, but Iron Mountain residents may have some unique concerns.

“We can listen to see if there’s anything else,” he said.

GFL Environmental’s trucks will be equipped with a lifting device. The operator is able to control the lifting, emptying and return of a cart without ever leaving the cab. The carts, meanwhile, are designed to be maneuverable and easy to roll.

GFL took over trash pickups in Iron Mountain when it acquired Great American Environmental Services of Kingsford last October.

In other action, the council:

— Approved hiring Abbey Taylor as the new full-time assessor at a starting salary of $57,540. The city had placed a dual advertisement for an independent contractor or full-time assessor. Taylor, who has worked as an assessing assistant in both Iron Mountain and Breitung Township, was the only applicant. She is a Michigan Certified Assessing Officer and is on track to become a Michigan Advanced Assessing Officer — as required by the city — by mid-August. Patti Roell, whose independent contract with the city expires Thursday, did not submit a proposal for renewal. No budget adjustment will be needed, as the salary and benefits are within the current assessing expense, Stanchina said.

— Heard Mayor Dale Alessandrini report this past weekend’s Saturday in the Park fundraiser will provide about $18,000 for City Park needs. “It was a good event, well-attended,” he said, thanking all who assisted. The future of the event may depend on new volunteer leadership, he added, noting he’s been involved for 12 years and is hoping to step aside.

— Reported no major problems with the outdoor Gus Macker basketball tournament conducted along Carpenter Avenue this past weekend, other than traffic confusion on West B Street. The size of the tournament — 230 teams — appeared to be a good fit, Stanchina said. Motel rooms were in high demand as the tournament coincided with contractors arriving for a maintenance outage at Billerud North America’s Quinnesec Mill. A few teams canceled as a result, Alessandrini said.

— Learned that a paving project on Kramer Drive at the top of the Pine Mountain Ski Jump has begun. Bacco Construction Co. of Iron Mountain is trying to keep the road passable while boulders are excavated. The road will then be built up and paved under traffic control.