Murfreesboro Post
MURFREESBORO WEATHER

City continues study of property tax, garbage fee hikes




Tindall

Tindall

The City of Murfreesboro is continuing to look at options for raising garbage collection fees as well as the property tax rate to eliminate its reliance upon using general fund reserves.

The City Council held a budget workshop Thursday evening. City Manager Craig Tindall said staff was recommending an increase of 37 cents per $100 assessed value on the property tax rate. The suggestion came after staff used models to project budget needs.

A stress test was done to project a 2 percent loss of revenues from a potential recession yet provide enough income to eliminate using the reserves, he said. The 37-cent increase should provide for the city’s needs while avoiding another tax increase for some time, he said.

Tindall said the goal is to present a budget to the council by Wednesday, May 15. The final vote would take place in June.

Officials also considered solid waste charges.

Utility Enterprises Division Director Darren Gore said that to recover the city’s current expenses for trash service, it would need to charge $13.86 per residential can per month and $34.65 per commercial can per month. That proposed commercial rate is 2.5 times higher than the residential rate.

Building a transfer station would add $270,000 per year in debt service, he said.

A transfer station would help because currently, when garbage trucks take trash to Middle Point Landfill, they can wait for up to two hours, Tindall said. A transfer station would allow them to resume their routes more quickly.

Council member Eddie Smotherman asked Tindall to consider implementing a commercial rate that is three times higher than the residential rate, saying a higher rate could encourage some commercial users to switch to a private service.

He said that the city’s commercial garbage fleet, which uses two operators per rear-loading truck, are dangerous because employees could be injured easily and because of the risk of worker’s comp claims. Serving fewer commercial customers also could mean the city would not need to replace as many of these trucks.

Residential garbage is collected by trucks that use automated arms to lift the cans.

Mayor Shane McFarland said that some downtown businesses don’t have room for large trash bins. He said he supports cutting service to some commercial users, such as large apartment complexes, saying there is one in the city that uses 30 trash carts.

Gore said that the county government decided not to provide a space at the new Judicial Center for a large trash bin and instead uses eight carts which the city empties four days a week.

McFarland asked Tindall to adjust the property tax rate a penny or two higher so the trash fee could be lowered. He said that might help lower-income residents offset some of the impact of higher trash fees.

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