Council adopts new alleyway dumpster fee and implements electric base-rate adjustment; staff plans $400,000 truck purchase

Morgan City Council on June 23 adopted Ordinance 26-08, which amends the consolidated fee schedule to add a business alleyway dumpster rate and applies a scheduled $2.50 adjustment to the electric base rate.

Ty, the staff presenter, said the city will provide a single 8-yard dumpster behind the plaza where several businesses operate and will charge users a dumpster rate comparable to prior per-business charges. Ty said the apartments adjacent to the alley will continue to pay can rates but may use the shared dumpster. "If we have another business that needs another dumpster, then we'll charge them the same dumpster rate," he said. The idea is to reduce the number of small dumpsters behind the alley and improve cleanliness.

The ordinance also implements the last $2.50 step of a previously approved multi-year electric base-rate adjustment from an earlier rate study. Staff said the electric fund had drawn down a previously targeted $1.5 million reserve during the State Street undergrounding project and that the base-rate adjustment will help replenish reserves and fund equipment needs. Ty told council the power department will prioritize buying a Digger Derrick truck (estimated at about $400,000) and closing on property for natural gas infrastructure (estimated in the transcript at about $523,000).

Councilors discussed reserve levels and the trade-offs between drawing fund balance for capital projects and rebuilding reserves with rate adjustments. The ordinance passed on a unanimous voice vote.

Next steps: the fee schedule updates will be reflected on business and utility bills according to the effective date in the adopted ordinance; staff will seek procurement for the digger-derrick truck and proceed with property closing per budget availability.