City Councilmen Discuss Raising Sanitation Costs

by WAKA Action 8 News

The city of Montgomery has a shortfall in revenue for sanitation and city councilmen are now turning to residents to make up the money. But not everyone believes increasing sanitation costs is the right thing to do.

This has been debated for weeks and even today, city councilman came here to city hall to discuss it some more. No action was taken and the issue has some people divided.

You’re currently paying 20 dollars per month to have your trash picked up. But soon, you may pay up to 25 dollars per month. That’s because the city now has to manage a gas plant. About six months ago, Jenkins Brick (now Acme Brick Company), cancelled a methane contract it had with the city, meaning now the methane gas plant is the city’s problem.

“The supplier for the methane gas that had the contract with us discontinued his contract with a 30 day notice,” says Montgomery Mayor Todd Strange. U”nfortunately, the contract allowed him to do that.”

The city is now trying to find money to bring that gas plant up to compliance. Montgomery Mayor Todd Strange says he would like to raise sanitation costs. But Montgomery city councilman Richard Bollinger says he has reservations.

“I feel like if we tell the mayor he can have this fee right now, he’ll take it all right now and that’s going to impact everybody that’s retired, that’s living on that fixed income, other people that are less fortunate with money right now.”

People like Montgomery resident Jerry Powell.

“You’ve got people like myself who are on a fixed income and you know how that goes.”

Powell says he only puts his garbage out once a week and doesn’t believe his sanitation fee should increase.

“They normally come Mondays and Thursdays. When Thursday rolls around, there’s nothing in my garbage can.”

But David Hatcher, the Assistant Superintendent of Montgomery’s landfill, says the money to bring the landfill up to code has to come from somewhere.

“We’ve got a system that was outdated that they city has inherited that we’re going to repair this year that’s going to cost approximately one million dollars to update.”

“We are asking for an additional three million dollars in fee increases to cover the short fall in sanitation and landfill operation,” Strange says. “It costs us about 18 million, we’re getting about 15 million now.”