Here's how much trash removal will cost next year in Bloomington - The Herald-Times

Here's how much trash removal will cost next year in Bloomington

Bloomington council votes to raise trash collection fees
Laura Lane

Bloomington residents will be paying more to have their trash hauled away starting next year, but not as much as much as city co uncil members had been considering before this week's vote.

The vote for the higher fees was 8-1. Councilman Jim Sims cast a "no" vote, citing his concern about the increasingly high cost of living in the city, especially for low-income residents who struggle to make ends meet.

Sims said he just couldn't vote to charge people more, despite support for the increase from all of his fellow council members.

"The full influence will be borne on the backs of many of our taxpayers," he said, suggesting the city has enough extra funding to cover the growing cost of providing trash service. "We use the word 'equity' a lot, but in this particular case, equity is not equal."

Households with a 35-gallon trash tote that now costs $6.51 per month, will see their bill increase about one-third, to $8.75. About 45% of Bloomington single-family homes have the smaller tote, a similar percentage has the middle-sized ones and the rest have 96-gallon containers.

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The changes the city council approved Wednesday night increase the monthly cost of a 64-gallon trash disposal bin from $11.61 to $16, and a 96-gallon bin, the largest offered, will go from $18.52 to $24. There will be a 3% increase for all sizes every year after that.

Under the initial proposal, which the council did not take to a vote at its Aug. 2 meeting, the cost for the 35-gallon tote would have more than doubled to $14 a month come Jan. 1. Fees for the middle-sized 64-gallon totes would have more than doubled to $25.60 on Jan. 1, and the price for a 96-gallon tote would have gone to $38.40.

A Herald-Times analysis last fall reflects how widely trash collection fees vary across Indiana. Direct comparisons can be misleading because of variable factors. A look at five cities similar to Bloomington showed a high cost of $75 in West Lafayette and a no-extra-fee service in Muncie, where local tax revenue covers the expense.

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In recent years, Bloomington has been subsidizing the cost of trash removal since costs have exceeded revenue by about $1 million annually. The new rates are intended to make the sanitation department financially stable by collecting more cash from people who use the service to offset the deficit.

Sims suggested the gap between trash income and the cost of providing the service should come not from citizens' pockets but instead from a 2022 local income tax increase that's bringing the city $16 million more in annual revenue. He said people on limited incomes will soon be affected by an upcoming water rate increase.

"I guess I'm blessed, or fortunate," Sims said. "You can triple the trash bin cost and I will be able to afford it. This is about many of the folks ... who stop and ask me to explain why they have to pay more. I can explain it, but I can't justify it."

Contact H-T reporter Laura Lane at llane@heraldt.com or 812-318-5967.