While ballots were being counted to determine the next City Commissioners, the current commission was conducting business.

Commissioners voted Tuesday night to approve a 5 percent utility rate increase for residential customers and commercial construction dumpsters.

The rate increase goes into effect on Dec. 1.

Increasing landfill fees driving proposed sanitation rate increases

For regular residential 96-gallon trash containers, the rate would increase by 58 cents, from $11.51 to $12.09 monthly.

A 20-yard construction dumpster would increase by $13 from $272 to $285.

The last rate increase was in October 2015.

Special pick-ups on large appliances would increase from $9 to $10 per pick-up while large appliances with Freon would increase from $40 to $45 per pick-up.

The increases are necessary, staff say, to provide required trash pickup and disposal services, cover increases in landfill fees and to fund capital improvements, specifically replacing the sanitation vehicle flee