Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Municipal Finance topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Councilor proposes trash‑fee and revenue changes as part of smaller override alternative
Summary
Councilor Winslow offered a multi-part alternative to the larger override that includes modest belt‑tightening, potential municipal‑empowerment revenue, limited use of reserves, and staged trash‑fee increases including an absentee‑landlord surcharge; council referred the paper to joint finance and ordinance.
Councilor Winslow presented a paper proposing a package of modest spending reductions, targeted revenue measures and trash‑fee changes he said could reduce the proposed overall override. The plan includes a small, citywide 'belt‑tightening' (roughly 1 percent in non‑staff spending), exploration of Municipal Empowerment Act revenue options (meals and hotel taxes) that might raise roughly $660,000 if enacted, cautious use of reserves, and specific changes to trash fees.
On trash, Winslow proposed a 2026 surcharge of $50 per unit for non‑owner‑occupied residential units (absentee landlords) and a 2027 raise of trash and recycling fees by roughly 50 percent — increases he said would begin to shift disposal costs off the general fund and could add roughly $400,000 in fiscal 2027 and more in later years. Winslow framed the proposal as one element of a possible $3.4 million override package instead of a $5.4 million proposal.
Councilors asked for more fiscal detail and recommended referral. On a motion by Councilor Winslow, seconded by Councilor Condon, the council referred the trash‑fees paper to a joint Finance and Ordinance committee meeting for further analysis and community outreach.
