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Youngstown garbage program costs significantly more than originally budgeted
YOUNGSTOWN
The cost of the city-run garbage program has increased yet again, and the administration wants to add more.
The proposed purchase of an extra garbage truck and 2,386 more bins – along with the unanticipated expense of renting trucks – has caused the cost of the city-run residential garbage program to increase 21 percent from its original estimate during its first year of operation.
That amount would be even worse if not for a bookkeeping error that initially had the city paying $457,187 in debt service on its trucks and carts during the first year.
Two other factors also lessened the financial impact: The city hasn’t used its $103,564 contingency budget, and has saved about $50,000 on fuel and operating costs.
Its personnel costs, however, have increased by $100,000.
The city originally estimated its garbage program, which started May 1, would cost $2,174,851 during its first year.
Instead, numbers provided Monday to The Vindicator show the city will spend $2,633,381 on its garbage program if council approves proposals Wednesday to purchase a 3-year-old garbage truck for $180,500 – to go with the eight trucks it currently has in its fleet – and $111,362 to purchase 2,386 carts to go with the 22,000 96-gallon garbage bins it currently has, as well as 2,000 replacement wheels for the bins. Since the bins were delivered in July, about 500 wheels have broken, city officials say.
“I’m not happy,” said Councilwoman Anita Davis, D-6th, chairwoman of the general-improvements committee, which heard a presentation Monday on the garbage program. “We were told $2.17 [million]. I understand the practicality of having extra bins. But I’m looking at 1,000 new carts and not” 2,386.
City officials point out that if Youngstown had not taken over its garbage program, the lowest price it received from a company for the work was $3.1 million.
The city quickly added $100,000 for temporary workers and $96,000 for truck rentals until its own vehicles were purchased and the temps were let go.
It wasn’t until three weeks ago, however, that the last rental truck was returned, said Abigail Beniston, code enforcement and blight remediation superintendent.
The truck-rental expense was actually $188,500, Beniston said Monday. The actual cost for the temporary workers was $102,650, she said.
The city had budgeted paying $457,187 in debt service during the first year, but Beniston said those annual payments for 15 years don’t start until May 2017.
The general-improvements committee recommended Wednesday that council approve spending $291,862 for an additional truck – as a maintenance backup – and to buy the 2,386 extra carts. There are 200 extra carts in storage, but they could be used quickly, city officials say.