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By Davida Hill-Beckum
Daily Times Leader
The monthly garbage fee for Clay County residents will increase from $7 to $10, effective January 2010. By a 4-1 vote during the meeting yesterday, the supervisors increased the fee.
Board President Shelton Deanes presented the increase to the board, which he described “as a long time coming.”
“This proposed increase has been traveling around the grapevine long enough,” Deanes said. “I think it is time it comes straight from the horse's mouth. I think this should have been done years ago.”
According to Deanes, the increase should have taken place in 2003, when the city annexation occurred. “In 2003, 1400 residents, who were once county residents, became city residents,” Deanes said. “If you multiply those 1400 times the $7 monthly fee, you will see the resources the county has lost.”
According to District 5 Supervisor Floyd McKee, the county's loss in sanitation for the 2002-2003 fiscal year was right at $20,000. At the end of the 2008-2009 fiscal year the loss was more than $98,000.
“Now the main reason for the loss, can be explained by the increase in diesel prices,” McKee said, “but this is still a problem that must be looked at.”
Deanes pointed out the increase, which goes into effect the first of next year, is the first increase in 17 years.
“When the supervisors became responsible for collecting garbage bills in 1993,” Deanes said, “we set the monthly fee at $7. Hopefully, with the collection of some of this delinquent debt, we will be able to return to the $7 rate.”
District 1 Supervisor Lynn Horton was the single opponent to the increase.
“With everything that is going on right now in the economy”, Horton said, “I just feel the timing isn't right for an increase. I also feel like we should work to get the debt owed to us before making the increase.”
Currently $830,762 is a year or more delinquent in garbage fees owed to the county.
In 2008, McKee suggested each supervisor be responsible for collecting the debt in his district. At that time, Golden Triangle Planning and Development District, the company responsible for billing, sent letters to the first 50 residents on the delinquent list. Four of the 50 residents paid their bill since the letters were mailed; however, there was no reply from the other 46.
At the mention of delinquent debt, McKee presented the board with the bills of two residents totaling more than $4,000.
“They seem to think we can just write off these bills,” McKee said, “but it doesn't work like that.”
With the $3 monthly increase, Clay County remains the lowest in the area. According to District 2 Supervisor Lummus, city residents currently pay $12.50 monthly.
According to Robbie Robinson, circuit clerk, the county is required by law to service residents whether their bills are delinquent or not.
To finalize the increase the county must publish a notice in the local newspaper for three weeks before the final vote in Nov. 24.
Before the decision to increase garbage fees, the board addressed a different billing issue presented to them by Pat Quinn, resident of District 4.
According to Quinn, owner of Swift Trail Manufactured Housing Park, one of her residents was billed by GTPDD for waste pick-up they have not received.
Quinn, who furnishes her residents with a trash receptacle and pick-up services, presented the board with a request to exempt her residents from the $7 monthly fee.
“Previously, we have only exempt churches from the fee,” said Lee Coleman, board attorney, “but if they aren't receiving services, I don't see why we can't go ahead and exempt them.”
Quinn currently pays a monthly fee to provide her residents with the receptacle and a weekly pick-up.
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