Limestone County is receiving a $100,000 grant from the federal Homeland Security program and will use the money to sponsor a weapons-of-mass-destruction exercise and to buy a trailer for a mobile-command post in times of emergencies.

Daphne Ellison with the Limestone County Emergency Management Agency said Wednesday the drill will take place sometime around the first of the year and will be viewed by Homeland Security experts.

“We don’t have a site set up as yet, but hopefully we can do it at one of the local schools,” she said.

The Limestone County Commission will accept the $100,000 grant Monday. Ellison said the grant will also be used to buy radio equipment for the city school system so officials there can communicate with law enforcement and other agencies in times of a disaster.

In other action Wednesday, commissioners announced that garbage pickup rates in the county will increase Oct. 9, based on the consumer price index.

Last year the rate increased by 10 cents per month to $10.85 monthly.

Limestone County has 19,000 households. Garbage is picked up once a week by BFI.

Commissioners also announced the county is considering selling a one- acre lot that the Limestone Department of Human Resources building now sits on to William Prince for $100,000.

Prince now owns the DHR building. Commissioners said he plans to construct a new building and lease it to the state DHR.

Athens Recycling Center Coordinator Gary Poole told commissioners he fears recycling services will have to be cut in the city and county if funding is not increased.

Poole said rent on the building has been increased by $9,600 per year and health insurance for employees will increase considerably.

In addition, he said the price for plastic has been cut in half, which means less money coming into the center.

“We are looking at a negative $15,000, and with a budget of $35,000 that will hurt,” he told commissioners.

“We are not in a money-making proposition, but when you look at keeping 200 tons a month from the landfill that sure helps out,” he said.

In other business, Limestone County Coroner Mike West requested that commissioners consider buying a vehicle that will be large enough to pull the county’s disaster trailer, which weighs 10,000 pounds.

Commissioners made no decision, but will likely discuss the purchase at the regular Monday meeting.