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Middletown officials weigh ending “Save As You Throw” sanitation program and proposed rate increases
Summary
Acting Public Works Director Bobby Noel Petersen told the council the DEEP grant that supported the city’s Save As You Throw program has been exhausted, and council members discussed suspending the program, issuing supplemental bills and raising rates (proposed to about $4.80) to avoid a projected deficit.
Acting Public Works Director Bobby Noel Petersen told the Middletown Common Council on Nov. 3 that funding from the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection that supported the Save As You Throw program has been exhausted and the resolution before the council would suspend the program.
"The supplemental billing would allow the city to send out a bill should the council decide to raise the rates tonight to match what it actually costs us to dispose of trash," Petersen said, describing an option for billing residents the delta between current charges and newly approved rates.
Why it matters: Petersen said the city needs to choose whether to suspend the program or raise fees because continuing the program without grant support would run the sanitation district at a deficit. He told council members that maintaining the program as currently structured could produce roughly a $100,000 shortfall every six months (about $200,000 a year) unless the council approves higher fees or an appropriation.
Council members pressed for detail on the timing and scale of supplemental bills and on operational impacts. Petersen estimated the supplemental billing could be mailed within about a month if the council approves rate changes and the city coordinates with its billing vendor. He said the proposed rate alignment would raise typical residential bills so that a supplemental bill for a residential customer would likely be about $100.
Operational and cost details discussed include:
- Proposed rate: Petersen said increasing rates to about $4.80 (broken into two bills per the six-month cycle) would bring city charges more in line with private haulers. "That is broken into 2 bills," he said, adding the increase would better reflect the actual cost of disposal.
- Inventory and vendor logistics: When asked about surplus orange-bag inventory at local stores, Petersen said stores may sell remaining stock but the city has no mechanism to reimburse retailers for unsold bags.
- Cart options and enforcement: The city’s vendor provided a quote of $3,104.64 for 55 of the proposed 35-gallon carts. Petersen said haulers will not repeatedly collect deliberately overfilled carts and that the city uses compliance letters and a $20 service fee as enforcement measures.
- Contract and procurement: Petersen clarified the city is not locked into the current disposal contract through 2027; staff determined the contract can be terminated at the end of 2025 and the city can issue an RFP to seek alternate tipping fees or disposal sites.
What the council asked for: Members requested a clearer map of the $100,000 deficit calculation, an updated list of accounts in arrears from the tax-collector/finance offices, and a timetable for the RFP and any required notices to the current disposal vendor.
Next steps: The resolution on suspending the Save As You Throw program remained under consideration at the Questions to Directors session; if the council approves any fee changes, Petersen said the city would initiate supplemental billing and pursue an RFP for disposal services. The Questions to Directors portion of the meeting adjourned to the regular 7 p.m. council meeting.
