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Dobbs Ferry trustees ask staff to study user-fee option to fund trash collection
Summary
Trustees debated shifting solid-waste costs from general property taxes to a user-fee model tied to service benefit; staff said state law permits a dedicated user-fee program but recommended a study with DPW input and a local law before next year’s budget.
The Dobbs Ferry Board of Trustees on April 28 directed staff to prepare a report on whether the village should remove solid-waste costs from general taxation and replace them with user fees tied to the benefit each property receives.
The Chair introduced the proposal as a way to spread the cost of collection more equitably across properties that actually receive pickup. A Staff member said the village is “permitted, by law to remove a 100% of the sanitation line out of your general taxation” and then establish user fees based on a benefit analysis for classes of property.
Why it matters: Currently the sanitation line is funded through the village’s general tax levy, which exempts not-for-profits and can leave multi-unit properties paying differently than single-family homes. Trustees said a user-fee approach could shift costs from property taxes to a direct charge, potentially reducing residential tax bills while ensuring institutions that receive pickup pay their share.
Staff briefed trustees on the required steps: study service patterns with the Department of Public Works; classify properties (door-to-door pickups vs. dumpster service); estimate per-ton tipping and transfer costs; draft a local law establishing fee categories; and time any change so it applies to the next fiscal year because the current budget is already finalized. Staff cited sample local laws (including Poughkeepsie) and said the village already has a compiled list of pickup locations that can be used for internal analysis.
Trustees pressed on practical details. One trustee warned that itemizing service charges could increase the number of bills residents receive and could create friction if service-level optionality (fewer pickups) were allowed; staff responded DPW would set container sizes and service days and that allowing opt-outs would be operationally and contractually complex, potentially requiring union negotiation. Trustees also asked how the change would affect schools, hospitals, churches and condominiums; staff said those entities currently receive service without direct charges and that a full analysis would identify who is not reimbursing the village today.
What’s next: Trustees asked staff to return with a report that quantifies how much pickup is unreimbursed, provides modeled fee options and includes sample local-law language and comparable community examples. No formal vote was taken.
