Don't mention the word "trash" in Pahrump unless you have time to listen to the latest rumor.

A flood of letters and a flurry of furious e-mail correspondence to the Pahrump Valley Times with questions posed by residents indicate there are still many unanswered questions regarding Pahrump Town Ordinance No. 43 regulating the pick up and disposal of trash.

Here are answers you can count on.

To go into effect April 10.

Residents currently serviced by Pahrump Valley Disposal will notice no difference. There is no charge to dump trash at the landfill, as it is paid through homeowners' property taxes.

"People who self-haul their trash to the dump and who are not signed up with Pahrump Valley Disposal will not get a bill from PVD in April; or any month, for that matter," said John Shea, vice president of the company. "We do not charge for services we don't supply.

"People planning vacations can put their service on vacation hold by calling the office the same as they always have. We are not the trash police. If you self-haul, continue to self-haul."

PTO 43, as well as the solid waste franchise agreement for the resolution, is available by opening the town's Web site, under documents at www.pahrumpnv.biz/town.

More important than the specific items outlining what the resolution states is a statement by Town Manager Bill Kohbarger, when asked to briefly define the town's policy on the ordinance.

"If people keep their property clean and free of trash and debris," said Kohbarger, "they will never hear from the town of Pahrump."

Seven days

At the March 10 meeting of the Pahrump town board, town attorney Bret Meich made a surprising announcement.

He said state law required trash be picked up every seven days, thus requiring residents who self-haul trash to the landfill and are not serviced by PVD to get a receipt from the dump every week.

Previously, PTO 43 required proof of self-hauling trash every 21 days, in the form of a receipt from the dump.

Many residents reported they had lived in other Nevada towns that did not require weekly proof. Meich said the requirement is stated in the Nevada Administrative Code (NAC 444.662), stating trash must not be stored for more than one week before collection.

Do not be fooled reading the exceptions listed to the seven-day pick-up. Number five stipulates an exception for "collection in a remote community."

Kohbarger, explained that would apply to the small and remote communities of Crystal and Manhattan, but not to Pahrump.

Although PTO 43 states having trash service is mandatory, Kohbarger said, "If yards are kept clean and neighbors do not complain, the town will not require trash pick-up."

Shea said it is not PVD that is requiring receipts.

Kobarger confirmed that the town is "the solid waste management authority" defined in the NAC regulations.