NATCHEZ, Miss. — City residents could be forced to pay nearly $30 more a year to have their trash collected. The Natchez Board of Aldermen is preparing a budget that includes the city’s contracted trash collector’s rate increase to be tacked onto the monthly bills city residents receive from the Natchez Water Works.
“We are going to have to pass that along (to city ratepayers),” said Mayor Dan Gibson, who described the estimated $2.43-a-month increase being planned as “very minor.” Natchez residents are currently charged $19.90 a month in garbage-collection fees, which also includes a $1 monthly fee for the city’s mosquito-control efforts.
Gibson said the per-household rate increase to $22.33 a month will need final approval by aldermen before being imposed. The board earlier this year approved a water-usage charge increase that Natchez residents began paying in July.
The mayor and aldermen met Tuesday to discuss the city budget being prepared for the fiscal year that begins in October.
The city’s garbage collector – Arrow Disposal Services of Alabama – is charging Natchez about $160,000 more in the coming year, said City Clerk Megan McKenzie. The increase is prompted by economic inflation, such as the higher costs of gas, and other financial factors Arrow takes into account for the rate hike, she said.
The Board of Aldermen hired Arrow in 2018 to replace Waste Pro as Natchez’ trash collector. That’s when the $19.90-a-month garbage fee was set – a 45 percent increase from the old rate of $13.74.
Arrow collects residential trash three times a week (twice for non recyclable trash and once for recyclables).
Gibson said Tuesday he wants to learn more about Vidalia’s garbage-collection service, which he noted is operated “in-house” by the Louisiana city’s streets and sanitation department at a possibly lower cost than private enterprise. He noted Natchez residents could also have a more accommodating curbside pickup service for yard debris and larger household trash like Vidalia has.
Natchez’ garbage expenses last year totaled about $1.5 million while about $1.3 million in revenues were received. City officials had to come up with about $123,000 to fill the deficit.
From memory, the last time this issue arose in the context of garbage collection, there was no evidence or proof that city residents needed garbage collection twice per week. What about now? I suggest that a more robust effort on recycling should neutralize some of these supposed costs, as well as take pressure off our solid waste landfills. We need some oversight or investigation of whether or not our recycling is being handled properly. More facts please. I see no discussion or probing by City into these issues. This appears to be a possible failure of advocacy for taxpayers by our elected officials — contractor wants more money and not enough questions asked or sleeves rolled up by officials to analyze the facts.