HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — Months after the announcement of rate hikes from the Tennessee Valley Authority and Huntsville Utilities, Huntsville residents can expect to pay more for garbage services, too.
With a new series of rate increases from the City of Huntsville, the cost to take your trash to the landfill could go up by as much as $5 per month beginning Jan. 1, 2025. The rate increases were unanimously approved by the Huntsville City Council in October.
City administrator John Hamilton said, "We want to keep it as inexpensive as we can, but we do have to cover the cost of delivering the service."
"Personnel costs are typically the highest," Hamilton added. "But it's also buying and maintaining the trucks, the supplies, the fuel. All the things. When we load up a truck with your garbage, we have to take it down to the Solid Waste Disposal Authority to dump it, and we have to pay them a tipping fee."
According to District 4 Councilman Bill Kling, this rate hike is the first since 2010, nearly 15 years of inflation without an increase in pay.
"The amount of money that this service was losing, it had not had an increase in several years. And it provides so much, especially compared to other cities," Kling said. "We're talking about garbage pickup. We're talking about extra large amounts of tree limbs and tree branches when there's heavy wind that comes down."
Hamilton said as Huntsville grows, reducing the garbage collection isn't an option.
"When you're looking at cost, you can always, instead of charging more, reduce the service," Hamilton said. "And we really don't think that's the right answer. We think the level of service delivered to the houses right now is the appropriate level of service. "
The rate hikes are set for multiple dates as trash services continually grow alongside the Huntsville metro's 70,000+ households. The city's garbage collection rates will increase on Jan. 1 of 2025, 2027 and 2029.
"This way, we're not just taking a large amount of money, but we're taking what we need as we need it. And I think that's a responsible, more fair way to do it," Kling said.
However, rates will not increase for qualified low-income residents. Their garbage collection bill will remain $10 per month.