McMinnville residents will see an increase in their Solid Waste Collection fee if a measure passes second read May 23.
City officials unanimously approved on first read a recommended increase of 12.5 percent for residential fees and an increase of 15 percent for commercial fees. The measure passed 6-0. Alderman Kate Alsbook was absent.
McMinnville Public Works Department assistant director Brad Hennessee suggested an increase of the Solid Waste Collection fees and gave two reasons
One, to stop depletion of funds.
“Since May of last year, our contingency fund in sanitation has decreased from $307,131 to $142,862,” said Hennessee. “We have some landfill expenses that came out of this that we’ve never had before. A lot of the money was for landfill remediation.”
Two, to keep the service in operation with the purchase of three new trucks.
“Our department foresees the need for three trucks to be purchased over the next six years, or one every other year,” said Hennessee. “The current purchase cost of these trucks average $250,000 each. Solid Waste Collection and Disposal is an enterprise fund and improvement/ upgrades should be funded solely by user fees/ rates.”
The fee increases will generate an additional $174,000 a year.
“We figure we need $125,000 to meet known future equipment needs and $50,000 as a cushion,” said Hennessee. “These trucks, depending on which one, increase, some of them drastically, from year to year. The $50,000 will give us some cushion in between what we know they cost at this time and any possible increase.”
The measure must pass one more read before the full board.