Gainesville officials are faced with the decision of raising city residents’ garbage collection fees or allowing property owners to shoulder some of the financial burden of the Public Works Department’s solid waste division.

City officials have discussed for years the goal of making the solid waste division stand on its own financially, operating solely off revenue from fees and with no help from the city’s general fund. That fund primarily is fed by tax money.

But becoming independent this year would mean that the department would have to raise monthly residential garbage collection fees by $2.83, City Manager Kip Padgett said.

The council raised fees by $2.20 in July 2008, bringing residential garbage collection rates to $17.20 monthly and reducing the department’s reliance on the general fund.

The City Council has yet to make a decision on whether it wants to move forward with a fee increase this year. Discussions Wednesday brought mixed reaction from the five-member board.

City Councilman George Wangemann was immediately opposed. Wangemann said that, in light of the economy, the council should wait to add the burden to residents until a year when economic
conditions have improved.

"I’m looking out for those people on fixed incomes," he said.

Mayor Pro Tem Ruth Bruner and Councilman Danny Dunagan said the council should consider raising the monthly fees, though not as much as $2.83. Without the fee hike, the solid waste division’s proposed $2.1 million budget would need about $194,000 from the city’s general fund.

Bruner proposed raising the monthly fee by $1.25 or $1.50.

"I think we need to do something," Dunagan said.

Padgett asked the council for direction on the issue as the solid waste division prepares its budget for fiscal year 2010. Councilman Robert "Bob" Hamrick said he would like to wait until the city gets results of its solid waste franchise fee audit to see if it results in additional revenues for the department.

In July 2008, Hamrick opposed increasing solid waste fees, but it was approved by council members.

Mayor Myrtle Figueras also said the council would have to continue its discussion before making a final decision in June. The choice, she said, is between raising user fees and the city’s millage rate.

"Do we choose to raise the millage rate or do we choose to raise the fee?" she asked.