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Council Approves Solid Waste Fee Adjustment

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The Murfreesboro City Council voted Thursday, May 18, 2023, to support continued adjustments in the Solid Waste Fee Structure toward a self-supporting utility operation.

On May 10, 2023, the City Council reviewed a 10-year Solid Waste Plan Update including the continued strategy to move Solid Waste toward a self-supporting utility in anticipation of the closing of Middle Point Landfill.

โ€œThe long-planned increase moves the City Solid Waste utility service toward self-supporting operations,โ€ said Assistant City Manager Darren Gore. โ€œThe 10-year Solid Waste Plan includes a gradual fee increase over eight years toward the goal of full recovery.โ€

The FY24 fee adjustment proposed a $2.00 increase from $7.50 to $9.50 per month for weekly residential curbside trash collection. Commercial service is proposed to increase $5.00 from $30.00 to $35.00 per month for bi-weekly pickup for customers outside the City Core Overlay. Commercial carts inside the City Core Overlay will remain at $30.00 per month for bi-weekly pickup.

With final approval of the FY24 budget, customers will notice the latest fee increase effective July 1, 2023, on the customerโ€™s Water Resources account or Consolidated Utility District account billing. The increase in residential and customer Solid Waste collection service will generate an additional $1.44 million to City revenues, totally $6.7 million and covering over 60 percent of the Solid Waste Departmentโ€™s $10.5 million in the proposed budgeted FY24 expenses. During the interim, the Cityโ€™s General Fund will continue to support this service.

The 10-year Solid Waste Plan also includes plans for a Materials Management Station and Qualified Biogas Facility at 2120 Butler Dr. to process City trash into a biomass fuel feedstock for generating renewable natural gas. Regardless of whether the renewables project becomes reality, the City must still proceed with a Materials Management Station (or Transfer Station) to transfer trash to semi-trucks for transporting to an out-of-state landfill.

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