During the next two City Commission meetings, officials will discuss a proposal to increase trash pickup fees.

Officials will discuss the proposal, as well as the current program, costs, needs and other details during their April 5 work session and commissioners will be asked during their regular meeting that night to set a public hearing on the proposal for April 19.

The city public works department annually reviews and analyzes the financing needs of the sanitation fund to ensure adequate funding for daily operations, capital improvements, debt service and emergencies.

The last residential and commercial rate increase for trash pickup services was in March 2020.

In the meantime, the department’s costs have increased due to increased operations, equipment, fuel and landfill costs, according to city staff.

Staff is recommending a $1.35 increase for residential trash pickup from $13.65 to $15 monthly.

The senior citizen rate would increase by 93 cents from $9.57 to $10.50 monthly.

Extra pick-up fees would increase $4 from $11 to $15 monthly. Pick-up of a large appliance would increase $4 from $16 to $20.

The cost of a 3-yard commercial container, which is the most commonly used in the city, would increase by $6.60 from $66.20 to $72.80 monthly.

Cardboard recycling would increase $2 from $20 to $22 monthly.

Staff is recommending that the city maintain the monthly vacant business rate of $5 and increasing the flat rate surcharge for overweight containers by $10 from $105 to $115 monthly, as well as increasing the dry run fee by $5 from $50 to $55 monthly.

If approved, the new rates would go into effect May 1.

The city’s sanitation rates remain among the lowest in the state, according to a chart from the city public works department.

The city utilities division is also recommending a change in the late payment penalty from 60 days to 30 days, meaning an unpaid utility bill would receive a penalty before the generation of the next bill, according to city staff.

“The increases are necessary to continue to provide required pickup and disposal services as well as fund capital improvements, specifically the replacement and maintenance of the fleet, and meet debt service requirements. Additional staff may be needed in the future. Rate increases will provide flexibility to hire staff as needed,” according to the staff report.

According to city staff, the cost of fuel has increase 24 percent and will continue to increase. Staff is anticipating that fuel expenses will increase by about $100,000 this year.

The cost of equipment has also increased, according to staff.

The sanitation department needs to purchase one residential side-loader and one commercial roll-off truck and the cost of those two vehicles was $400,000 in the past.

That cost is now $506,000 and the price continues to increase, according to city staff.

The landfill costs are also increasing and are now $2.33 per ton more than 2020 at $30.31, or an 8 percent increase, according to city staff.

The city does not own the landfill. It’s owned by Republic Services.