Snellville council waives first reading on ordinance to let city set annual garbage fee by resolution

Mayor Bender and several council members on Tuesday waived the first reading of Ordinance 2025-12, an amendment to Chapter 46 of the Snellville code that would create authority to set a residential solid waste user fee by annual resolution and update procedures for assessing solid-waste fees.

The amendment, presented as a first reading, was not voted on for final passage; councilmembers moved and seconded to waive the first reading and schedule a second reading and final vote for the council’s June 9 meeting. The motion passed 6-0.

The ordinance change stems from an extended discussion about how the city has financed residential trash collection for more than 20 years. Mayor Bender explained that the service was initially funded from a large general-fund balance so residents would not pay a separate trash fee. Over time, the city has used that fund balance to cover sanitation costs and is now approaching the end of its sanitation contract. Bender said the general-fund subsidy to the sanitation fund has grown from roughly $380,000 in 2006 to about $1.3 million in the most recent year, and the city “can no longer absorb the sanitation costs using those tax dollars.”

Mayor Pro Tem Todd Warner and other council members reviewed the history and said rising contract costs, industry-wide price increases and state-level measures such as House Bill 581 (a property tax freeze referenced by council) have contributed to budget pressure. Warner said Snellville’s sanitation operation has historically been offset by commercial service revenues and recycling-center receipts, but those offsets have declined and the city expects substantially higher bids when the contract is rebid within the coming year.

Under the ordinance text presented, the council would retain discretion to set the fee annually by resolution rather than embedding a fixed dollar amount in the code. Council members emphasized the item remains subject to public input and urged residents to comment before the June 9 final vote.

The council did not set a fee amount on Tuesday; staff and council repeatedly told residents the final rate would be determined later and that the first-reading waiver simply permits the council to take up the matter for a final vote at the June meeting.

If the ordinance is adopted on second reading, the solid-waste enterprise fund would collect fees intended to make the sanitation fund self-supporting rather than rely on general-fund transfers. Councilmembers did not adopt any fee level at Tuesday’s meeting, and any specific charge would be published with supporting documentation before a final vote.

Votes and next steps: the council voted 6-0 to waive the first reading and schedule the ordinance for second reading on June 9, 2025. Staff directed members and residents to submit comments to mayorcouncil@snellville.org before final action.