Lincoln City Councilors voted Monday to institute a composting service with North Lincoln Sanitary Service which will provide a yard debris/food waste can and increase the cost of service by $6.85 in March 2021.
Resolution 2020-07, Mandatory Composting, saw North Lincoln Sanitary Service proposing multiple rate structures for providing yard debris cans for both residential and commercial customers.
The proposal councilors initially considered would have increased fees by 10 percent and give residential and commercial customers a 96 gallon roll cart. Commercial could only place yard debris in the cart while residential customers could dispose of yard debris and food waste. City Attorney Richard Appicello said the disparity in fees should be addressed and questions were raised on justifying a rate increase with no increase in service for commercial customers.
Councilor Rick Mark said he wanted to educate the public on how they could save money with the new service with suggestions such as a smaller cart.
In an email to City Manager Ron Chandler, North Lincoln Sanitary Service’s Tina French said:
By doing it this way the cost is spread out over the commercial and residential customer base, keeping the rate much lower than a residential rate increase only ($6.85). This way the commercial customers are getting something for their 10% increase, and we do not have to worry about increased expenses from PRC for having a commercial food waste collection program.
After much discussion, the City Council voted down the first proposal that included commercial customers and voted to accept an alternative proposal which sees residential customers receiving the service with a $6.85 per month increase.
Councilor Mitch Parsons was the lone “no” vote.
“I can’t add more to peoples cost of living in a time like this,” he said.
The service is expected to roll out March 2021.
So three roll carts in my yard? How about another for glass and another for blue paper and another for….
Why aren’t us residents allowed to vote on something that we HAVE to pay for.Reminds me of a few years back when the mayor,at that time,just had to ban us using burn barrels.Another big fat cart to keep animals from tipping over,and where to place it?One of my neighbors does not have garbage service, now where is his garbage going?I may consider stopping my garbage pickup when this new unwelcome charge is forced upon me.This is not fair to people that already do their own composting!!!
This is a crock of bs. We don’t need more cans to keep track of. All this is for is some feel good pseudo green garbage we have to deal with.
Another thing- not everyone has garbage service, so the whole program is going to punish those of us that try to follow the rules, Not even a week ago, I watched my neighbor across the street, leave his Olivia Beach “house” he left with a white 20 gallon trash bag and his dog, guess what happened later, he and the dog return, the trash, left in someone else’s trash can most likely. This is bs, everyone with water service should have to have trash service as well, maybe I should just cancel my trash pickup and dump my garbage somewhere, or burn it.
It’s really easy to pass measures that don’t affect you personally, isn’t it?
Why don’t we get to vote on things like this, please don’t tell me that the government knows what’s best for me, you don’t know squat. What’s that stupid sidewalk on the east side of 101 for? How about something to make walking to Canyon Park safer for people, like the walkway by the hospital? Spend some of the transient room taxes on something intelligent, I listened to council meetings where the city had been duped by shoddy contractors, and had to shell out more money to fix the retaining wall out towards Schooner Creek. And artwork in the police station??? Give me a break. No one is interested in going to the copshop to look at art., They’re going to need some money when the next cop talks trash about me to my neighbors.
I do my own composting. You are telling me I HAVE to purchase this service?????? If so you are infringing on my freedom of choice.
This is a great GREEN solution. I will gladly reduce my wastes away from landfill. Half of my weekly garbage is yard debris ready for composting. Grass clipings, Hedge shearings, Rodendrum prunings, fall Alder leaves, winter and spring Shore Pine needle dropings. I will gladly decrease garbage, pay to have yard debris picked up and then buy back composted materials
During this time, businesses are closed, people are unemployed and you are increasing the rate. This is not helping.
This is a very costly service for home owners. The can would be nice but you should only be charged if you use the service & the charge should be the same as one xtra can pick up. Years ago I obtained a composter that the county and trash services were pushing. So this is a service I would not likely use. If I have allot of yard debris I just take it to the Transfer station and pay the fee. It would be much cheaper than the $82.20 xtra per year. How many times would this service be used in the winter??? most likely NONE. Bad policy by our City Council
We shouldn’t be forced to pay for something that we don’t or won’t use! Why should we have to pay for something that we should be able to burn but the mayor changed the rules on use maybe because she was in bed the North Lincoln sanitary? You can dump land/yard debris for free you just have to take it to the dump site out of town. Just get a burn barrel be smart about your burning have a hose and just remember that it is a warming, cooking or ceremonial fire and it is all legal.
Everyone who is against this new fee need to email all of the City Council. This is so inappropriate at this time and the City Council should be told how disappointed the residents are about this increase. Nothing will change unless you voice your opinions to the people who agreed to this increase to our bills!!!