Staff outlines proposed 2026 sanitation and landfill fee increases; committee hears rationale

Staff presented proposed adjustments for the 2026 sanitation and landfill budget and comprehensive fees, explaining the rationale and the items that would be forwarded in the budget process. Key proposals staff described: the landfill minimum fee would increase about 4% from $12.00 to $12.50 and the tipping fee would rise from $48 to $50 per ton (approximately 4%). Sanitation proposed raising the standard residential pickup fee from $19.75 to $21.25 per month (about 7.6%) to restore fund balance after recent purchases for storage facilities and carts. Staff also proposed raising the second‑cart fee from $3 to $4 per month; because the dollar base is small, that appears as a large percentage increase though the absolute amount is modest. Staff explained the higher sanitation ask was intended to rebuild fund balance ahead of a planned replacement of automated side‑load trucks in a few years and to avoid bonding for the purchases. Committee members asked clarifying questions about how the per‑household modeling was done; staff said those are the department’s proposed fee adjustments and that the full budget will go through the normal commission review process. No committee vote was taken on fees at this meeting; staff will include the numbers in the city’s upcoming budget materials and present them to the City Commission for approval as part of the 2026 budgeting process.