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WARREN -- City council will give first reading at the Nov. 10 council meeting to a proposed increase in garbage collection rates and plans to vote on it at their meeting Nov. 23 or Nov. 24.
The date of the vote is still uncertain because of the Thanksgiving holiday, Councilwoman Helen Rucker, D-at Large, said during a City Council Health and Welfare Committee meeting Wednesday.
Two representatives from the engineering consulting firm AECOM explained two options it is recommending to increase rates for the first time since 2021.
Each recommendation increases the price about $10 per month spread over the next five years.
The price for those in city limits would rise from $17.37 per month now to $22.06 in 2027, $25.37 in 2028, $26.64 in 2029, $27.44 in 2030 and $27.26 in 2031.
For customers outside of the city, the price would rise from $18 now to $25.20 in 2027, $30.24 in 2028, $33.26 in 2029, $34.26 in 2030 and $35.29 in 2031.
If city council chooses an option that includes increased fees for people using more than one garbage tote, the price per month would be lower. Then the cost for people in the city would rise from $17.37 this year to $20.84 in 2027, $22.93 in 2028, $24.07 in 2029, $25.28 in 2030, and $26.54 in 2031.
The price for customers from outside of the city would see their price rise from $18 now to $23.40 in 2027, $26.91 in 2028, $29.06 in 2029, $30.52 in 2030, and $32.04 in 2031.
TOTE FEES
The consultants said they suggested the increased tote fees because the city loses money on customers who put multiple totes out to the road because the city does not charge extra for using multiple totes other than a one-time charge of $75 to cover the cost for each additional tote.
The city makes $9.18 per month on customers who use one tote. It loses $18.36 per month on customers using two totes because of the cost to dump the trash at the landfill. The city loses $27.54 per month on customers filling three totes, loses $36.72 per month on customers filling four totes, and loses $45.90 per month on customers using five totes.
If council choses the proposed extra tote fee, it would add a $3 charge per month for someone using two totes, an additional $8 per month for someone using three totes, $17 more per month for someone using four totes and $26 more per month for someone using five totes.
An increase is virtually a certainty because the city Environmental Services Department, which operates the garbage collection service, is on pace to lose $337,000 this year.
Without instituting the price increases, the city would lose $1.8 million per year by 2031. The projected cost to dump the garbage at the landfill is expected to rise from $67.25 per ton now to $75 per ton by 2029.
With the rate increases, net revenue for the Environmental Services Department would rise to $117,662 in 2027, the first year of the increase; $375,966 in 2028; $635,896 in 2029; $264,832 in 2030; and $275,890 in 2031, according to AECOM'S projections.
Warren will plan to replace two garbage trucks in 2027, 2029 and 2031, the largest of the department's capital costs. Each truck costs $450,000 to $500,000. Garbage trucks last typically six to seven years.
AECOM provided data showing comparisons of the cost of nearby garbage collection services per month, including Lordstown, $60; Sunburst Environmental Services, $31; Champion Disposal, $29.67; and Garrettsville, $29.