Jeannette council approves raising residential garbage rates

Residential garbage rates in Jeannette are set to rise through 2026 after council on Tuesday approved a proposal from Mayor Curtis Antoniak.

Current monthly trash collection rates are $16.67, and that will jump to $20 starting in 2022. The monthly price will be $25 by 2026 with incremental increases annually, Antoniak said.

The city is moving forward with the increased 2022 monthly price, but solicitor Tim Witt said council could decide to change the cost in future years.

Antoniak said he wants to generate more revenue in the sanitation department that can be set aside for large purchases or the general fund, rather than raise property taxes.

“The sanitation services are not part of the services provided by taxpayers’ dollars,” he said. “Our sanitation department must be self-sustaining, and we cannot use any city tax dollars.”

Chief fiscal officer Ethan Keedy said the increase is expected to bring in about $160,000, “if everyone pays.”

Fire Chief Bill Frye said the city’s residential makeup is about 60% rental units.

The sanitation department’s 2022 budget shows a decrease in expected net profit from $119,360 in 2021 to just under $19,000 for next year. Keedy said increased maintenance costs and salaries factored into that, as did a $32,000 annual repayment to the capital reserve for the 2018 purchase of two new trucks that had not been included in the budget.

There are six workers in the sanitation department who can assist with public works tasks and snow removal, Antoniak said.

“We use our sanitation department to keep our town clean,” he said.

For commercial garbage collection, there will be two 20% increases — on the cost of cardboard pickup and the price of city-sold garbage bags that must be used for the disposal of trash. Treasurer Jacob Milliron said cardboard costs about $10 per pickup for businesses. Bag fees for commercial accounts range from $22 to $62.

Residential and commercial garbage rates were increased in 2020. City officials then cited rising costs.

Council also approved the lease of two 2022 Ford dump trucks for five years for the public works department. The down payment of $21,612 and annual payment of $42,946 will come from the city’s liquid fuels allocation from the state.

Foreman Rich Ault said it will be a while before the trucks are available for use on city streets.

“We’ll be lucky to see these two vehicles by the end of 2022,” he said.

Ault participated in his last council meeting Tuesday and was wished well in his retirement. His replacement is Ed Cycak III.