Lumumba: Garbage rates will go up if JXN Water can't increase sanitation collection rate

The City of Jackson is nine days into the latest garbage contract and already there are fears that residents could see an increase in their garbage bills.

The matter was brought up by Ward 2 Councilwoman Angelique Lee during the Jackson City Council's nearly 4-hour long meeting on Tuesday.

Lee asked Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba how much of a potential increase in garbage rates residents could see now that the long-term contract with Richard's Disposal Inc. is more expensive.

From April 1, 2023, to March 31, 2024, the city was paying $808,000 per month to Richard's in a 1-year emergency trash contract. With the city entering into a six-year long-term contract with Richard's at the end of March, the cost for trash pick-up has now increased to $851,000 per month.

Lumumba said an increase in garbage rates has everything to do with how much the city can collect.

"That increase will be dependent upon collection rates … JXN Water is collecting at about 52% (for sanitation rates). If it maintains at that rate, then we will have to increase. If we can improve on the 52% then it doesn't require an increase," Lumumba said, adding that if collection rates stay the same residents could see their garbage bill go from $37 to $42.

In comparison, the City of Madison, which is contracted with Waste Management, charges residents $24.64 per month for garbage, according to documents obtained by the Clarion Ledger.

Fidelis Malembeka, the city's CFO, said that sanitation collection rates would need to "ideally be above 80%" for residents not to see an increase in garbage bills.

Lumumba also said that when the city was in-charge of collecting garbage bills, the collection rate never went below 72%. JXN Water was not available for comment.

Ward 1 Councilman Ashby Foote disagreed with the mayor's claims that JXN Water's sanitation collection rate was 52%, saying that he heard it was closer to 62%. He also disagreed with the mayor's other claims that the city's sanitation collection rate never went below 72%.

Who collects garbage bills? The city or JXN Water?

Garbage rates are included in residents' monthly water and sewer bills. Since JXN Water is now overseeing the city's water and sewer systems, they are in-charge of collecting residents' garbage bills, on top of collecting bills for water and sewer.

Ward 7 Councilwoman Virgi Lindsay said that once JXN Water collects garbage bills, they send the revenue earned back to the city. As far as the revenue earned for water and sewer bills, JXN Water keeps those dollars to spend on managing and repairing the water and sewer systems.

"What JXN Water does is then they pass along the amount of money that they collect for sanitation to the City of Jackson so that we can pay Richard's," Lindsay said.

This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Jackson MS residents could see garbage collection cost go up