Concerns about trash fee voiced
Fee supposed to be for one year, but some skeptical it will disappear
TROY, N.Y. » The City Council chambers filled up quickly Thursday night as the City Council’s Finance Committee met with residents, Mayor Patrick Madden and members of his administration to discuss the $160-per-unit garbage fee.
The fee was approved last year by outgoing council members. Outgoing Republican councilmen Dean Bodnar and John Donohue joined the council’s three outgoing Democratic members, Erin Sullivan-Teta, Robert Doherty and Lynn Kopka on Dec. 29, 2017 to help approve the 2018 budget along with the one-year $160 trash fee, with 5- 4 votes on each ordinance.
Republican City Council President Carmella Mantello, who voted against the fee last year, said that she wanted to request the public meeting to get an update on the city garbage fee and the status of the solid waste management plan.
The fee became relevant again with residents receiving their bills for the new trash fee and they have until April 30 to make that payment.
“I have been getting questions regarding billing, whose getting billed and also this will give [the residents] an opportunity to ask about your bill,” said Mantello to start the public finance meeting. “Part of the legislation that was passed the administration is to come up with a new plan and at that time we had talked about potentially a pay as you generate type of plan and things of that nature.”
Dozens of residents filled the council chambers as several residents went up one after an-
other to complain about the fee, ask questions and share their concerns.
“I’m here primarily because of the thunderbolt that struck me with the bill on the [ garbage] service, said Troy resident Hannelore Wilfert. “I’m delighted to hear that it’s only for one year. However, I have lived long enough to know that [when] administrations get [their] hands on money, they don’t let go.”
“As far as the people that are disabled and elderly people who are on social security and stuff, they can’t afford to pay this [fee], I mean this has just gone overboard and the city has been going overboard with the taxes as it is,” added Troy resident Lisa Jalet.
Other residents like Charlene Dobert said they were frustrated with how things get approved in the city even when residents speak out against legislations at times.
“A lot of people that I’ve talked to say, ‘ Why bother?’, because it doesn’t matter, anything that people say, it gets done anyhow,” said Dobert. “You have to listen to the people because this is going to make us like Detroit, I mean we’ll become a ghost town here.”
Republican City Councilman Mark McGrath, who also voted against the fee last year, also shared his frustration at the admin- istration a several times t hroughout Thursday night’s meeting.
“It was a scam from the beginning,” said McGrath after Dobert finished speaking, which got an applause from other residents in the crowd. McGrath along with Mantello also kept calling the trash fee a “double tax”.
City officials from Madden’s administration said that the fee is expected to generate $2.2 million in additional revenue with the money being used towards the work the city’s sanita- tion crew does. Earlier this week the city also hired a recycling coordinator who is reaching out to neighborhood groups to ask them to participate in the committee that will draft the new garbage plan.
On Thursday night, members of Madden’s administration also said that they intend to have a new garbage plan and deal in place before the proposed budget is released later this year.
“The fee is the cost of the service for solid waste collection, solid waste includes recycling, so it includes everything it costs to pick up property solid waste, so there is the municipal solid waste, so the police stations and fire stations and City Hall, the garbage cans on the streets, those are included in our tax base, but if it is a private entity or somebody who gets city collection that’s not a municipal facility, that cost is what has been distributed throughout the tax fee,” said Deputy Mayor Monica Kurzejeski, who also later said that the fee is not really a double tax on residents.
“[The new plan] is in the draft phases, it’s going to cover a 10 year plan. The goals of the plan are to increase the total recycling, decrease trash costs and increase the overall participation from all,” explained Chuck Wojton, the city’s general services commissioner. “We do have a timeline; that timeline is going to start this month with setting up the committee, we have everything itemized through December 2018.”