By Terri T. Johnson

Staff writer

ttjohnso@observer-reporter.com

When rates for solid waste and recycling collections in Washington were raised six months ago, council said it was to meet the increase in the new contract with Waste Management and to recover money the city paid in 2007 and did not pass on to property owners.

The rates jumped from $150 to $175 annually.

Brenda Davis, who addressed council during a meeting Thursday, said the increase was too steep.

Davis, who lives in Canton Township and manages, but does not own, property in the city, claims the amount is $110,000 more than what the city needed.

Councilman Matt Staniszewski agreed, saying the "overcollection" was closer to $116,000 and quickly made a motion to refund each property owner $24.62 at the end of the year.

His motion died for a lack of a second.

Waste Management's contract with the city for solid waste collection was $480,216 in 2007 and increased to $545,535 in 2008. The recycling contract, also with Waste Management, was $57,780 in 2007 and rose to $119,528 for 2008.

As usual, Councilwoman Virginia Ullom was at odds with Staniszewski, whom she said did not look at all the expenses incurred by the city, including composting, picking up Christmas trees and leaf removal. The increase also is to help cover the cost of mailing delinquent notices and administration and code enforcement costs.

Ullom said in 2007, the total amount the city paid for collection was $650,226. That jumped to $788,598 in 2008.

According to Mayor Sonny Spossey, who also disagreed with Staniszewski, the city has 5,350 households with a 7 percent delinquency rate, along with numerous abandoned or vacant properties, bringing to about 4,700 the actual number of households that pay.

"We lost $56,000 by not charging enough last year," Ullom said. "We have to recover this money."

The city is attempting to avoid bankruptcy and to recover from a financial crisis.

Staniszewski countered Ullom, claiming the city is overcharging this year and money is being diverted from the city's neighborhoods. He also repeated he did not vote for the current budget that included a 30-mill increase in land taxes.

"Matt, you're just campaigning for the next election," Ullom shot back.

Ullom told Davis she called several surrounding municipalities and discovered that even though the rate increased by $25, the city still is the lowest when it comes to solid waste and recycling rates.

In East Washington, Ullom said, property owners pay $185. The annual rate is $222 in South Strabane Township and is $241 in North Franklin Township.

"To keep costs low, the city absorbed a $12.59 per unit loss in 2007," Ullom wrote in a summary presented to Davis. "The city can no longer absorb just some of the costs. Some of this loss has been added to the 2008 rate."

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