Waukesha finance committee backs $160 annual garbage and recycling charge to protect core services

The City of Waukesha Finance Committee recommended unanimously on Sept. 30 that the common council adopt a resolution creating a $160 annual special charge for residential garbage and recycling collection and disposal.

The committee heard a financial projection showing operating expenses outpacing revenues by about 2027 and staff said moving garbage and recycling costs to a dedicated special revenue fund would protect other services. “The red, which is expenses, overtakes revenues, right about 2027,” Finance Director Joe Sherrill told the committee as he reviewed a five-year operating projection for the general fund.

City staff and the mayor briefed the committee that the proposed special charge would pay contract and disposal costs tied to the city’s Johns Disposal agreement and be billed as a line item on property tax statements. “It would be a flat fee … it would be on the property tax bill. A $160. And I point out there that it is per household unit,” City of Waukesha staff member Tony Brown said during the presentation.

Why it matters: Staff told the committee the city faces a structural funding gap because Wisconsin levy limits restrict annual increases tied largely to net new construction while many operating costs are rising faster. Moving garbage…