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Council adopts three-day residential sanitation routes amid heated overtime and finance discussion
Summary
The council adopted an ordinance to move residential trash collection to a three-day (Tue–Thu) schedule starting July 1, 2025, amid extended debate about high overtime costs, route efficiency and commercial sanitation rates that staff say currently lose the city money.
The Helena-West Helena City Council voted to adopt an ordinance establishing three-day residential solid-waste collection routes (Tuesday–Thursday) with a proposed start date of July 1, 2025. The measure, identified in the packet as ordinance No. 32025, passed with council support and an emergency clause; the council also directed a broad public-notice campaign.
The move came after an extended discussion about municipal overtime and the sanitation department's finances. City staff presented an overtime and departmental report that drew strong council concern: staff reported roughly 1,165.39 police overtime hours ($24,815.64) and 840 fire department overtime hours ($15,900) for April, plus overtime across landfill, sanitation and streets departments. The mayor and several council members described the aggregate overtime cost as unsustainable: "Police and fire last month was $40,000 overtime alone," a staff speaker said during the discussion.
Nut graf: The ordinance aims to improve operational efficiency and reduce overtime by consolidating residential pickups into three dedicated days each week; staff also flagged that current commercial collection rates are too low and that the sanitation department and city landfill are losing revenue on commercial collections.
Staff presented a detailed analysis showing the city’s commercial rates lag private-sector comparables; for example, staff said a 2-yard commercial container is charged $46.24 per month in Helena-West Helena while nearby private haulers charge substantially more. The presentation included volume-to-weight conversion tables and estimated disposal costs demonstrating that, at higher average container weights, the city loses money collecting commercial waste.
During debate council members pressed department heads and staff to manage overtime by tightening preapproval, improving crew management and allowing employees not actively working to leave rather than waiting on broken equipment or trucks. Council members asked for next-month payrolls to show whether management changes reduce overtime.
Ending: The ordinance was adopted with an effective route start date of July 1, 2025; staff will run an information campaign and return with updated payroll measures and any proposed commercial-rate adjustments for council consideration.
