BUCYRUS—The Bucyrus City Council Economic Development Committee met on Thursday in council chambers to vote on a solid waste increase.
The committee passed emergency legislation that will increase rates by $2.00 per month across the board. This will be the first rate increase since 2004.
Most of the solid waste budget (around $325,000 per year) goes to the landfill.
The landfill, under the direction of Rumpke, has offered to take over the city garbage routes. City Council has expressed no interest in allowing an outside entity to take over garbage pickup.
The increase will help to deal with rising fuel costs, maintenance, and the eventual purchase of a new garbage truck. A portion of the increase will go into a replacement fund to assist in equipment purchases.
Currently, the city owns three garbage trucks, one purchased in 2021, another in 2018, and a 2015 used as a spare truck.
Each truck has a longevity of 7-10 years. If the chassis of unusable garbage trucks are still viable, they are converted to dump trucks for the city’s use. The next expected purchase date for a new truck is projected to be 2025.
The new monthly rates for retirees will go from $10 to $12 per month, and all others will rise from $16 to $18 per month.