Tupelo council approves 41¢ sanitation rate increase

The Tupelo City Council on Sept. 16 approved a 41¢ increase to the city sanitation rate, raising the monthly charge from $20.50 to $20.91.

City staff said the city ran the required public notice in the newspaper for four weeks before the vote. "We are asking to increase the sanitation rate 41¢. That's a 2% increase from $20.50 to $20.91," Kim told the council.

Council members moved and seconded the measure and voted to approve it. The city will begin printing the new amount on sanitation bills so customers see the change when bills are mailed.

The discussion at the meeting was brief. One speaker described the service positively: "the service is a real good in Tupelo, and that's only a few cents more," a council member said during debate.

The vote was recorded as approving the change; the council did not attach additional conditions or specify an effective date beyond placing the new rate on bills as they go out.