Trash collection fees could be going up in Benton Harbor.
City commissioners will consider raising the monthly trash collection fee from $17.65 to $21 at a meeting Tuesday night. The Benton Harbor Public Safety and Public Works Committee heard last week from communications coordinator Nicholas Gunn a review of the current fee structure for trash collection has determined the city’s losing money.
“The garbage truck, it’s costing the city money,” Gunn said. “Fuel, costs for employees, and this essentially just tells you that the city was losing $36,000, essentially paying for — overpaying pretty much — from what the city was receiving,” Gunn said.
Gunn said he’s spoken with city leaders in communities from Berrien Springs to Portage and found many have had similar issues. He also noted trash fees in many of those communities are higher than in Benton Harbor currently.
City commissioners last year approved an ordinance amendment that would allow them to raise the garbage fee with a simple resolution, setting the stage for the rate hike to be considered Tuesday.
The $21 a month fee would cover the pickup and use of one 95-gallon trash bin. For another $21 a month, a resident could ask for a second bin.
