YOUNGSTOWN Garbage fee boost likely

The garbage collection contract is expected to cost about $400,000 more.
By ROGER G. SMITH
CITY HALL REPORTER
YOUNGSTOWN -- Higher costs to the city are expected to mean higher garbage collection fees for taxpayers.
City officials are asking council today to raise the monthly garbage fee by $1.50 -- to $8 -- starting March 1.
The city also projects raising the monthly fee to $8.25 in 2005 and to $9 monthly for 2006 and 2007.
Despite the increases, city garbage fees would remain lower than other comparable cities in the region, said Mayor George M. McKelvey.
The city must raise the garbage fee because it can't afford to absorb rising costs, he said.
"We will pick the garbage up for what it costs us to do so," McKelvey said.
Low bid
The apparent low bid for the latest garbage collection contract is about $400,000 higher than the last contract, said Finance Director David Bozanich.
Waste Management had a one-year contract, plus a pair of one-year renewals, with the city. This is a renewal year but the company declined to continue the contract, Bozanich said.
Such renewals usually are picked up, he said, making the decline unusual. Waste Management pointed to higher tipping fees at landfills and other costs, such as health insurance, as reasons for declining the renewal, he said.
So, the city sought bids for a new one-year contract with two one-year renewals. Waste Management and BFI were the bidders.
Waste Management is the apparent low bidder, even with the $400,000 increase over the 2003 contract, Bozanich said. The contract is to be awarded soon.
The city will decline to renew the contract in 2005 or 2006 if it appears that seeking bids then will mean a lower cost, McKelvey said.
rgsmith@vindy.com