Mary Hansen
The State Journal-Register
Residents in Springfield could see their garbage fees jump as early as Sept. 1. The Springfield City Council voted Tuesday to raise the cap of what the four private waste hauling companies can charge.
By a vote of 9-1, the council approved a proposal by Mayor Jim Langfelder that will increase the cap on monthly garbage fees, require all companies to have a recycling drop-off site available to their customers, and raise the monthly waste disposal fee charged by the city from $1.50 to $3.
The monthly maximum rate companies could charge increases from $11.25 to $15 for one garbage can plus recycling, and $13.75 to $18 for two cans plus recycling.
Eddie Cook, a part-owner of Lake Area Disposal, agreed they didn’t like everything in the ordinance, but he was happy for the increase. Lake Area plans to increase their rates but not to the full cap right away, he said. The new cap is based on inflation rate changes since the last time garbage rates were raised in 2003. The city council will review the rates every three years to determine if they should increase.
The required recycling drop-off site for all haulers will benefit Springfield renters and homeowners alike, said Ward 7 Ald. Joe McMenamin who pushed for a public recycling center.
“There’s also lot of flexibility for the haulers,” McMenamin said. Lake Area Disposal is the only company that has a local recycling site for its customers.
In an effort to address complaints about waste left at the curbside or in alleys, haulers will have to collect everything left out at their customers’ addresses and can charge a fee for picking up extra items, according to a set list of fees approved by the city. The city also will require them to report fly dumping and large items, such as couches or refrigerators, to public works to pick up.
Residents with the Coalition for Inner City Older Neighborhoods said the cleanup provisions didn’t go far enough.
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The hauling companies also will be required to provide larger containers for recycling to accommodate cardboard items. The city also will be able to assign residents who don’t have garbage service to one of the companies and bill them on their City Water, Light and Power bill. The city will then disburse the fee to the assigned waste hauling company.
In other business:
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* The council approved an ordinance targeted at properties with repeat code violations, such as overgrown weeds or broken fences. The city can fine property owners for a minor code violation, even if the problem has been taken care of, if the property has had three or more violations in the last two years.
Joe McMenamin for Ward 7 