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Winterset Council approves 10% residential garbage rate increase tied to Waste Management surcharge
Summary
The Winterset City Council on July 20 approved Resolution No. 2026-34 to raise residential garbage bills by 10% beginning in August 2026, citing a temporary fuel surcharge from Waste Management and an existing contract through Sept. 30, 2029.
On July 20, 2026, the Winterset City Council approved Resolution No. 2026-34 to increase residential garbage rates charged by Waste Management (WM) by 10%, to be included in recurring monthly bills beginning in August 2026. Council Member Mike Fletcher moved for approval and Council Member Christopher Fairholm seconded; all four members present voted aye.
The resolution states the city has a binding contract with WM through Sept. 30, 2029, and that Waste Management notified the city on June 25, 2026 of a “temporary Fuel Surcharge, applied as a separate item rather than a permanent change to the base rate to recover extraordinary fuel-related costs.” The council’s action directs that the 10% increase be applied to all billed customers, with the adjustment appearing on bills in August 2026.
Council Member Mike Fletcher, who made the motion to adopt the resolution, said the motion was to approve Resolution No. 2026-34; the council recorded a unanimous roll-call vote in favor. The transcript records the resolution language directing the billing change: “Will adjust the reoccurring monthly bill for each home to include the 10% increase in August of 2026.”
City materials included in the council packet note that the last garbage rate increase occurred in May 2022 and that the June notice from WM described the surcharge as temporary. The resolution also acknowledges the possibility of additional increases tied to future contractual obligations and the maintenance of a health enterprise fund.
The increase applies to residential customers under Winterset’s contract with Waste Management. The council did not provide a sample new bill amount in the meeting record, nor did the motion include a breakdown of how the 10% will affect different billing tiers; those details were not specified in the transcript.
The council passed the resolution as an immediate adjustment to billing; additional contractual or budget actions related to solid waste were not detailed during the meeting. The council’s action takes effect in August 2026 unless otherwise revised by later council action.
