Monday evening's Whitehall Township Board of Commissioners meeting included a fierce debate over changing garbage pick up protocol.

Waste Management was awarded a $7,414,780 five-year contract for refuse collection. The contract also includes the collection of leaves and Christmas trees.

Current refuse hauler J. P. Mascaro & Sons was the other bidder.

Commissioners Phillips Armstrong, Dennis Hower, Philip Ginder and Thomas Slonaker voted in support of the Waste Management contract. Board President Linda Snyder and Commissioner Gerard Palagonia voted in opposition.

There will be no limit as to the amount of refuse collected.

Yard waste collection will begin in March but will not continue throughout the winter.

The township expects to save nearly a $500,000 in landfill fees in 2015. The money will go to purchase toter/carts which will be given to each property owner free.

Before the vote was taken, the board listened to the pros and cons from residents and Mascaro personnel.

"I definitely am not for the toter system," Palagonia said. "Whitehall is not Palmer Township. In Whitehall Township, I like it the way it is."

Palagonia noted the toter system could cause property damage since the township has many narrow streets and houses close to each other.

Snyder mentioned the large number of calls she received from people asking that the refuse collection system remain as is.

"Disrespectful," Snyder said of how the new system will affect residents.

She said residents should have been provided an opportunity to offer more input.

"It's very demeaning not to deal with residents," she said. "It's big brother who wants to conform. Well, I don't need to conform to anything."

Commissioner Dennis Hower spoke of research he did in Pottstown, which uses toters through a Mascaro contract. He was told by a Mascaro representative that it is the government that wants to use toters.

"We need to increase our recycling," Hower added.

Armstrong said he researched a senior housing development outside of Whitehall whose residents are happy with the toter system.

"I do see the concerns, but I also look at the rewards we have," Armstrong said.

Matters got testy as Slonaker and Snyder argued and Slonaker said Snyder was interrupting him while he was speaking.

The issue escalated when Palagonia entered the verbal fray. Slonaker called both Snyder and Palagonia "idiots."

"Oh well, I'm an idiot," Snyder said. "Well, thank you very much, Mr. Slonaker, for informing me of that."

The dispute continued, after which order was restored.

Slonaker later apologized, saying he spoke in the heat of the moment. Palagonia accepted the apology and offered an apology of his own.

As each commissioner spoke, they wished each other "happy holidays."