Montrose, CO — The City of Montrose is seeking the public’s input via a brief online survey to help city administrators gauge potential changes in trash and recycling service with the goal of maintaining affordable rates in the face of rising operational costs.
The survey only takes a few minutes to complete and can be found at www.CityofMontrose.org/Services. The deadline to complete the survey is Friday, August 25, 2023.
Potential changes in service are being considered due to a multitude of operational costs, from landfill fees to recycling collection costs that have steadily risen in recent years.
The resources required to recycle materials such as plastics, paper, and cardboard have increased significantly. This is especially true in rural communities like Montrose that are located farther away from material sorting facilities and from industries that use recycled materials.
Trash disposal and transportation costs have also increased significantly over the last few years. Landfill fees increase annually based on the Consumer Price Index, CPI, which has resulted in expenses that are higher than anticipated. The cost of specialized refuse collection trucks has increased by 48% since 2020.
The city has increased rates over the last three years (5% in 2020 and 10% in 2022 & 2023) with the goal of keeping the cost as low as possible while maintaining the same level of service. Unfortunately, rapid increases in cost continue to exceed revenues. Further adjustments in fees and/or levels of service are needed to maintain a viable trash and recycling program. Your input via the survey will be helpful to the city when considering its options.
The city is considering the following options for its future trash and recycling services:
Option A - Keep trash and recycling services under a single fee and with the existing level of service. This would require an annual 10 - 20% ($1.83 - $3.66 per month) rate increase for 3 or more years that would apply to all trash customers.
Option B - Separate the charges for trash and recycling services and apply a $9/month fee for recycling (participation optional) AND an annual 8 - 10% ($1.46 - $1.83 per month) rate increase for both trash and recycling customers for 3 or more years.
Option C - Discontinue recycling services and apply an annual 6 - 8% ($1.10 - $1.46 per month) rate increase for trash customers for 3 or more years.
“We encourage all city trash and recycling service customers to carefully review each option and then tell us which would be their preference,” said Public Works Director Jim Scheid. “The public’s feedback is critical as we determine which path we will follow for the future of the city’s trash and recycling services.”
The city is asking the public to consider the three options mentioned above and go online to www.CityofMontrose.org/Services to choose their preferred option. Following the collection of responses, city administrators will then work with staff and the City Council to determine the best possible path forward.
For more information about the city’s trash and recycling collection services visit www.cityofmontrose.org/292/Trash-Recycling
More information will be released once it becomes available.
For more city news visit: CityOfMontrose.org.