East Laurinburg's mayor will ask for an increase in the town's waste disposal rate on Tuesday.

"The Town of East Laurinburg is facing financial hardship with our trash collection," Mayor Harry Pittman said.

He said the finance officer conducted a study of the past 12 months of trash pickup.

"With the data collected, we are losing money on a monthly basis," Pittman said. "With the state requiring that we pay min wage and the cost of fuel going up, we have to do something."

Pittman would not disclose what the new rate might be.

The current rate of $8 a month was set in 2002. Since then, minimum wage has increased from $5.15 an hour to $7.25, gas prices have more than doubled, county landfill rates have increased and vehicle maintenance has become more expensive for the aging East laurinburg trucks.

The city of Laurinburg charges $23 a month for trash pickup.

Pittman said the town had hoped to find other ways to defer the costs.

"When we started recycling, we thought it would offset the increase in cost. It did not," Pittman said.

The town has two part-time employees who work an average of 20 hours a week. They pick up the trash, perform street maintenance and other tasks for the town of 300.

The mayor also said the town will conduct its first official meeting on the proposed community watch program at Tuesday's meeting.

If enough people show interest at the meeting, Pittman said the town will contact the sheriff's office and get a community watch program going.

East Laurinburg holds its regular commissioner meeting on the first Tuesday of every month at 6 p.m. at the East Laurinburg Municipal and Community Building on Third Street.

The meeting is open to the public.