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Huntersville staff lays out tradeoffs: keep $154 solid-waste fee or convert to tax
Summary
Public works presented data showing the current $154/year residential solid-waste fee covers roughly two‑thirds of contract costs; staff asked the board for guidance on whether to raise the fee, keep it, or roll it into the tax rate.
Huntersville staff presented a summary of solid-waste operations at the planning retreat and asked the board for guidance on whether to maintain the current household fee ($154 per year), increase the fee, or convert the revenue to the town property-tax rate.
Staff said audited FY24 solid-waste costs were roughly $4.9 million and they estimate FY25 costs will be about $5.3 million. The current $154 fee covers an estimated 68 percent of the cost in FY24; if the fee remains $154 for the next year staff estimate coverage will fall to about 64 percent as contract costs rise because the town’s contractor is eligible for a CPI-based annual increase under the contract. The fee currently generates about $3.3 million in revenue and the town now serves more than 22,100 residential units.
Public works described options for the board: keep the fee where it is, increase it toward “full cost coverage” (staff estimated full coverage at about $225 per household this coming year), or eliminate the separate fee and convert the revenue to a property-tax increase. Staff noted advantages and distributional effects: a flat fee affects households evenly in dollars (so a lower-valued home pays proportionally more), while shifting the revenue into the tax rate would spread the burden by property valuation and would remove the visible fee line on the tax bill. Staff also noted commercial properties do not receive curbside residential collection from the town and would be affected differently if the revenue were moved into the tax rate.
No decision was reached at the retreat. Staff asked the board for direction as the budget is prepared; they indicated they will model scenarios (changes to the fee, converting to tax, and household-level impacts) for a future budget meeting.
