Revenue shortfall for garbage collection

Bobbie Bicknell Coray, Reporter

Rich Civic Times

RANDOLPH, Utah. December 5, 2018. Discussing the shortfall between cost of providing garbage pickup and the revenue provided by fees, Lynn Weston, Sanitation Department Head, said that he felt there should be additional costs for short term rentals based on occupancy.   Weston said that he had observed that for every five people in in home there needs to be at least one can. A nightly rental that could have 30 people should have 6 cans, he said.  Fees are based on cans required.

Chuck Stocking, Garden City Council, said that 90% of his properties use about three cans for thirty people which is generally adequate.   Stocking said that cardboard boxes use a lot of room in the dumpsters or cans.  He said, “Now that so many people are using Amazon,  I feel that the County should look at cardboard recycling.”  He would like to see one can per ten people. 

 

Commissioner Bill Cox asked if the department was prepared to give more cans to residences.  Weston responded that the County would have to buy more. He said that the real need is to get reimbursed for all the garbage the department is hauling. 

“We need to change our commercial rate to make them equal to residential rates,” he said. “People go around town dumping in open dumpsters so they are filling up faster.  We are hauling two more loads on Mondays than we did last year.  It is not getting less; we need to make sure we are taking care of the income side of sanitation.”

Mayor Mike Leonhardt, Garden City, asked when was the last time rates were raised.  Cox responded that the last time was in 2008 and at that time the yearly rate was raised from $100 to $126. 

Leonhardt said, "It would look terrible in Garden City for short term rentals to have so many garbage cans.  We should do  no more than one can per ten people, and everyone rates should be raised a little rather than just the short term rental properties.”

Garden City pays $22,000 a year for the dumpsters it provides the public.  Leonhardt said that the dumpsters in Hodges Canyon are paid for by the city, yet they are used by Sweetwater HOA members.  He felt that one or two dumpsters should paid for by the Sweetwater HOA.

Tom Weston, Commissioner, said that the department needs to establish how many cans needed to provide for the short term rentals.  He asked for a list of short term rentals from Garden City.  Norm Weston, Commissioner, asked if  Garden City would rather have cans or dumpsters around the short term rentals.

  

The Commissioners tabled the issue until January.