SLIPPERY ROCK — Residents upset with the borough’s recently-approved garbage contract were told by borough officials Tuesday that the municipality is close to taking action on their concerns.

“The trash issue ... is being dealt with,” said borough council President Regina Greenwald, responding to resident concerns.

Greenwald said she’s held “numerous meetings” with the borough’s solicitor and officials are “near(ing) completion of what the problems have been and are.”

Greenwald declined to discuss the issue in greater detail Tuesday night, and council members adjourned to executive session to discuss the contract — a session Greenwald said would deal partly with personnel issues related to the matter.

Concerns over the garbage contract were brought before council by residents Chuck Brochetti and Itzi Meztli, who is also a former council member.

On Dec. 8 borough officials voted to accept a three-year deal with Tri-County Industries for $944,000, Meztli said. But Brochetti says the contract contains an excessive number of monthly billings for which the borough is liable. The billing is handled by the Slippery Rock Municipal Authority, which also handles billing for sewage and water service in the borough.

Brochetti says the Tri-County contract specifies an average of 1,278 monthly billings, when in fact the borough only averages 1,183 billings per month. The new garbage contract sets collection rates at $20.53 per month, which is nearly double the old rate of $11.27.

Meztli says the discrepancy means the borough will have to pay for the alleged phantom bills — an error that he said could cost Slippery Rock $70,000 over the life of the contract. Both Meztli and Brochetti questioned how the incorrect number made its way into the contract, and say they haven’t been satisfied by borough officials’ response.

Borough officials have not directly addressed the figures put forth by Brochetti and Meztli regarding monthly billings, and haven’t said specifically what problem with the garbage contract they are investigating.

Meztli said Tuesday that he believes a borough official is to blame for the billings — an accusation with which councilor Bob Bowser took issue. Bowser said the borough relied upon figures provided by the municipal authority when drawing up the contract, and chastised Meztli for criticizing borough officials.

“We don’t cook these numbers up,” Bowser said. “Before you start casting aspersions on the people sitting at this table, look at where the information is coming from.”