FELLSMERE — The Fellsmere City Council is considering making trash collection mandatory, citing a significant cost savings for those who currently, voluntarily, subscribe to the service.
Those few subscribers in the city pay more than $17 a month for trash collection.
Under the agreement Indian River County is considering with Waste Management, voluntary collection would be $9.68 per month. Fellsmere City Manager Jason Nunemaker said the City has an opportunity to adopt the County’s agreement, resulting in better rates for the city residents.
If Fellsmere were to make collection mandatory, that price could drop to $8 per month.
“It depends on how aggressive the City wants to be,” Nunemaker told the Council. He added that, when the Board of County Commissioners discussed its solid waste collection options, Commissioners recognized that mandatory collection is inevitable – but not a step they were willing to make this year.
Nunemaker encouraged the Council to at least consider mandatory collection and take the temperature of the community.
“It’s an option worth exploring,” he said.
Council members, at first glance, appeared supportive of mirroring the County’s agreement with Waste Management and willing to consider mandatory collection.
“You can’t beat the price,” Councilwoman Sara Savage said of the $8/month fee. However, she voiced concern that the County is considering once-a-week trash collection and wondered if the City could maintain its twice-a-week schedule.
Going with the County’s proposal, customers would receive a 96-gallon, wheeled cart with a secure lid. The larger cart is expected to handle one week’s worth of trash while the wheels and lid would make it easier for customers to tote the trash to the curb and keep animals out while the trash sits.
Nunemaker said he would inquire with Waste Management and noted that keeping twice-a-week collection would still result in savings to customers, but not as much as a once-a-week schedule.
Waste Management is expected to make a presentation to the Fellsmere City Council during the April 16 Council meeting. The public is encouraged to attend.
Fellsmere City Hall is located at 22 S. Orange St., though the Council Chambers are in the blue building in front of the Fellsmere Police Department.
