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Waste hauler asks for temporary 10% fuel surcharge; council delays decision pending metrics
Summary
Waste hauler Waste Pro asked Canton council to allow a temporary 10% fuel surcharge because diesel prices rose sharply; council members expressed concern for residents, asked staff to gather trigger metrics and examples from other cities and agreed not to act tonight.
Waste hauler Waste Pro asked the Canton City Mayor and Council on May 7 to permit a temporary 10% fuel surcharge on sanitation invoices because diesel costs have risen substantially.
"Back in January, fuel was around $3, $3.25 for diesel, and now it's over $5.50," Waste Pro representative Josh Beckes said, noting a local price of roughly $5.20 and a national average near $5.60. He described the requested 10% as a short-term measure and proposed revisiting it after a set period or when a threshold is met.
Council members acknowledged the companyconcerns but worried about passing costs to residents. "I just don't see how we could vote a fuel charge to give to you guys when everybody else in the city and everywhere else is struggling," Councilmember Roach said. Other members said they were open to a temporary surcharge if it included a clear trigger to return to original pricing.
Council did not approve the surcharge at the May 7 meeting. Instead, members asked city counsel and staff to work with Waste Pro to collect examples of how other municipalities structure temporary fuel surcharges (for instance, fixed-term reviews such as 90 days or a price threshold) and to return with metrics and sample language for council review before the July billing cycle.
The discussion left the contract terms unchanged for now; staff and Waste Pro will report back with examples and potential trigger language for council consideration.
