Trash fees and other large cities…
WTOL has a story on what some of the suburban areas outside of Toledo charge for trash collection. I thought it would be interesting to also share what some of the larger cities in Ohio have discussed or adopted concerning trash fees. In Columbus the idea of raising trash services up to $18.24 per month was discussed as a part of their balancing the budget efforts. It appears they opted instead for an increase in income tax of .5%, with the total income tax rate of Columbus now being 2.5% — It’s also interesting that Columbus does have a income tax credit for those live in Columbus but work outside of Columbus. Columbus also had a system where they stopped picking up yard waste and those who wanted the service had to pay $49.50 for each six month period. In May of 2010 that goes back to being a free service provided as a part of the income tax increase.
(As an aside, I really like how Columbus presents their budget for 2010 and some of you might find their Financial Overview of interest.)
Cleveland City Council recently passed a trash fee, for the first time in that city’s history. The fee is $9.25 fee a month but they do offer a 50% discount to people 65 years or older or disabled who meet certain income guidelines and have a waiver process for properties vacant for more than 60 days.
(As an aside this Cleveland Management & Efficiency Study was an interesting read, especially the chapter on Workforce & Collective Bargaining that begins on page 48 of the pdf.)
Akron charges $17.50 a month if you do not recycle (homesteaders pay $9.30) and $19.50 a month if you do not recycle (homsteaders pay $11.30). Akron also allows residents to purchase an additional can for $50.00 beyond the one provided for trash and the one provided for those who recycle. Cincinnati considered a trash fee of $17.20 per month, they currently do not charge a trash fee. Dayton charges $5.00 a month.
This is not to suggest $15.00 a month is what Toledo area residents should or should not pay, but to share what some comparable urban cities are doing in Ohio. There’s quite a bit of information in the links that show what they are doing beyond trash fees to balance their budgets and to do some long range planning.
I pay a private company in this area $15/month for trash removal. (Live in Sylvania Twp.)
There are multiple companies that serve my neighborhood, and any one company only provides service to 3-4 houses on my street. (You can tell who uses what company, because they have different trash pick up days. On any given day, only 3-4 houses on my street have the trash out.)
Seems like one company (or public entity, wink wink) that served every home in the area should be able to operate more efficiently than multiple companies serving a handful of homes. So, logically, you’d think that the City of Toledo should be able to service neighborhoods for slightly less than $15/month/home.
Of course, logic doesn’t always have its place in government, I suppose.
March 4th, 2010 at 8:17 pmHowever if you weigh that $15 per month against the wages and benefits that the City workers are getting as opposed to what the private company’s workers get, the residents of Toledo are getting a deal at $15 per month.
That was sarcasm folks, don’t get your panties in a wad.
March 4th, 2010 at 8:38 pm