On and off for more than a year, the Mower County Board of Commissioners has debated whether to switch its recycling services to a single-sort system. Now, it’s time for the public to weigh in.

There’s plenty of reason to support the switch, but there’s also enough considerations to make residents reflect on their choice. We’ve reported heavily on the potential new deal — the move would cost about $40 more a year on average, but would also increase Mower’s recycling volume by at least 30 percent, according to estimates.

By the same token, the switch would mean 14 to 17 Cedar Valley Services employees would be out of a crucial job, one that could be difficult to replace for adults with special needs.

In addition, single-sort would only be offered to residential properties. Businesses and other properties would need to contract with lowest bidder Waste Management on their own.

We can see both sides of the argument, but we’re not the ones voting on this issue. In effect, the people of Mower County have the final decision through their input to the board of commissioners.

County residents have started Change.org petitions for each side of the issue. While it’s great to see the community interest and feedback, such petitions are imperfect reflections of the counties’ views since they usually only attract a portion of the public.

That’s why it’s important for residents to contact Commissioners Tim Gabrielson, Polly Glynn, Jerry Reinartz, Tony Bennett and Mike Ankeny about this issue. Call or email your area commissioner, or fill out a recently released county survey on single-sort recycling: www.surveymonkey.com/r/countyrecycling.

Your input could make the difference. Our county board is typically conservative when it comes to money and are opposed to increasing money for services in general. What’s more, they’ve received a mixed response from residents on the issue thus far, which makes the board more likely to keep the county recycling services we have now.

Your opinions could sway them either way. If you want single-sort recycling, let them know. If you’re against the price hike, let them know. It’s an issue that affects the whole county, which means as much of the county as possible should get a say on single-sort recycling.

•The board is set to vote on recycling at its Aug. 25 board meeting, which will be in the county board room in the basement of the Mower County Government Center. The meeting will likely start around 8:30 a.m., and it’s estimated the recycling vote will likely be around 9:30 a.m. to 10 a.m., though the final time won’t be set until the meeting agenda is released on Friday.

•The Survey Monkey survey is available at www.surveymonkey.com/r/countyrecycling. Along with the online survey, printed survey forms are available at the Mower County Recycling Center, 1105 Eighth Ave. NE in Austin, and at the county offices located on the main floor of the Government Center, 201 First St. NE.

•For more, visit www.austindailyherald.com/site-search/?q=single-sort+recycling

Mower County Board of Commissioners contacts

—Tim Gabrielson, 1st District: 507-433-2598, tim.gabrielson@co.mower.mn.us

—Polly Glynn, 2nd District, vice-chair: 507-269-4498, pglynn@hmtel.com

—Jerry Reinartz, 3rd District: 507-219-2205, jerry.reinartz@hotmail.com

—Tony Bennett, 4th District: 507-440-1203, tony@old218.com

—Mike Ankeny, 5th District, chair: 507-433-4157, mlankeny@ankenysminimart.com