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Northglenn council approves $4 monthly sanitation fee increase to sustain service
Summary
The City of Northglenn on Oct. 2025 approved a $4 per month increase to the residential sanitation fee, raising the base service from $16 to $20, citing rising disposal and vehicle costs and the need to preserve service levels. Council voted unanimously after a public hearing and staff presentation showing reserves would otherwise decline sharply.
The Northglenn City Council voted unanimously to approve Resolution CR92, increasing the monthly residential sanitation fee from $16 to $20.
Deputy City Manager Jason Loveland told council the proposed $4 monthly increase was meant to preserve weekly trash collection, biweekly recycling, summer dumpster days, special pickups and the city's yard‑waste mulching program. Loveland said the sanitation enterprise fund is separate from the general fund and that without the increase reserves could fall quickly in 2026 and beyond. “We’re proposing an increase of $4 a month for residential users from $16 to $20,” Loveland said during the presentation.
The staff memo and benchmarking slides showed Northglenn's fee was at the low end among regional peers while offering up to four carts per household. Officials said Republic Services landfill and disposal fees and rising vehicle replacement costs were major drivers of the proposed increase. Councilmember Goff and others noted private haulers are typically more expensive and that the city’s package of services provides added value.
During the public hearing Tim Long, a Ward 4 resident, urged the council to find internal savings and questioned earlier capital spending, saying the city should not repeatedly rely on taxpayers to cover deficits. Resident Melissa Ryan had earlier raised questions about mayoral and council postage costs and broader budget scrutiny during public invited to be heard.
Council members emphasized that the sanitation fund is an enterprise fund supported by user fees, not the general fund, and that no other sanitation charges (such as special pickup fees) were being increased as part of CR92. The resolution passed unanimously (9–0). The new fee takes effect per the ordinance schedule set forth in the resolution.
