UPDATE: Twice as much for trash collection? Bloomington council delays vote

UPDATE: The council on Wednesday postponed the vote on the trash fee increase until its Aug. 9 meeting.

Bloomington trash fees would more than double over the next six years under a proposal the city council is expected to discuss Wednesday.

What is the trash fee hike under consideration for Bloomington?

Monthly fees would increase every year on Jan. 1 for the next six years. Monthly fees for a 35-gallon solid waste cart would climb to $14, more than double the current $6.51. Residents with the largest carts, 96 gallons, would see the smallest increase, with rates increasingly slightly more than double, to $38.40 on Jan. 1, 2029. People who use 64-gallon carts would see the largest proportional increase, of about 120%, with monthly rates rising to $25.60.

Why is Bloomington considering increasing trash fees?

The administration of Mayor John Hamilton is proposing the increase to cover rising expenses and to move the service toward self sufficiency. The city currently subsidizes trash collection with about $1 million from its General Fund, its main operating fund that pays for such services as police and fire protection.

That subsidy has been a thorn in the side of some council members who have proposed eliminating the subsidy, knowing full well it would mean a trash fee increase. Some council members also have favored a pay-as-you-throw system, which, they believe, would incentivize people to produce less trash.

Didn't the city council consider a trash fee hike last year?

Hamilton's administration tried to push through a trash fee hike last year but got pushback from council members over the timing, as it came on the heels of the largest property tax revenue boost in at least 20 years and a $16 million local income tax hike.

Last year's trash hike proposal What it would have cost you.

Public Works Director Adam Wason could not be reached, but he said last fall the department’s expenses related to trash collection have increased significantly. He said recycling processing fees last year were about $100,000 higher than in 2018, and the volume of trash the department collects rose by more than a fifth between 2018 and 2022, which increased annual costs to the department by $140,000.

“We mostly attribute this increase to the shift to at-home work and carry-out dining in relation to COVID-19,” Wason said at the time.

Wason said the department also was being affected by the general high rate of inflation, with costs rising sharply for everything from diesel fuel to cleaning supplies and gloves.

However, some council members criticized the timing of the increase, as the city had just hiked income taxes by $16 million and was projected to get another $2.2 million this year in property tax collections.

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Susan Sandberg, who was council president at the time and a mayoral candidate, said Hamilton pushed for the income tax increase in part to pay for essential city services.

“It looks like we’re shirking our responsibility,” Sandberg said last fall.

How do Bloomington's trash fees compare to other cities?

An analysis by The Herald-Times last fall showed that trash costs across the state vary widely. Comparisons generally are difficult because some communities offer the service for no additional charge while others require residents to contract with a private trash hauler. Comparisons also are skewed because of municipalities’ tax bases, income tax rates and the varied other revenue streams including user fees.

However, last fall, monthly trash pickup fees in five Indiana cities ranged from a high of $75 in West Lafayette to a low of zero dollars in Muncie, where the service was paid through property tax collections.

How can people make their views heard about the proposed increase?

The council discussed the matter Wednesday but postponed a decision until next Wednesday, when its regular session is scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m.

You can attend the meeting in council chambers in the Showers Building, 401 N. Morton St. The legislative packet for next week's meeting has not been published, but it will be posted before the meeting at tinyurl.com/2hv8twhk. You can find more details about the trash fee proposal in the council’s prior legislative packet: tinyurl.com/rrsevx83. The memo on Ordinance 23-14 starts on page 151.

Boris Ladwig can be reached at bladwig@heraldt.com.

This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: Bloomington, IN, city council considers doubling trash collection fees