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Maplewood council discusses modest solid-waste assessment increase and timing for ballot measure
Summary
Council members and staff discussed a roughly 20% increase to the city's solid-waste assessment, the timing of placing the measure on the ballot and how to avoid plunging the fund into a negative balance in 2029'30.
Maplewood City Council members and staff on April 22 discussed a proposal to raise the city's solid-waste assessment by about 20 percent and whether to place the measure before voters in 2027 or 2028.
Council members heard that the city's solid-waste fund is projected to begin drawing down reserves in the next fiscal year and could reach a negative balance by 2029'30 if no new revenue is added. Staff said the proposed increase is relatively small compared with prior changes and would be timed to avoid overlapping major tax measures, such as a potential police department capital request.
The proposal and timing matter because the fund's balance affects the city's ability to borrow and the view of credit raters. Staff noted there is reserve capacity to cover near-term deficits, but council members expressed a desire to avoid prolonged negative balances for the sake of credit ratings and fiscal flexibility.
Finance and public-works staff attended the work session to answer questions. Staff described the proposed solid-waste assessment as roughly a 20 percent increase over the current assessment and said the city previously increased the assessment in a larger step (the packet notes a prior jump from 28 to 50). Staff recommended evaluating the change again during next year's budget work sessions and building anticipated revenue into planning if the council decides to place the measure on the 2027 ballot.
Council members discussed sequencing the solid-waste ballot measure relative to other likely revenue requests. One council member urged spacing a possible solid-waste ballot measure and a potential bond or tax-increasing police station project so the city would not ask voters to decide multiple major fiscal items in the same year. Staff said the city could place the trash measure on the ballot in 2027 and, if it failed, try again in 2028; waiting until 2029 or 2030 would increase the risk of a negative fund balance.
No formal motion or vote was taken on the solid-waste assessment at the work session. Staff said the city would recheck projections next year, incorporate any chosen increase into budget planning if the council directs it, and return to the council with updated recommendations.
The council moved on to the next agenda item without taking formal action on the solid-waste question.
