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The Winslow City Council met last week in their only July meeting. In the absence of council member Bob Schlesinger, they dissected the consent calendar, which included an amendment to a city ordinance pertaining to fee schedules.
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Mayor Tom McCauley began the discussion. “This ordinance, as it’s written says that we have stricken the fees we previously approved for McHood Park. They have been stricken because we don’t have a pay station out there to be able to take payment yet. I think that instead of striking these and having to come back and re-do them, the better answer would be to just give us a tentative date as to when they will take effect.” Public Works Director, Tim Westover replied, “We should be ready with those by Oct. 1.”
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McCauley continued down the rather long schedule of fees and proposed increases. “Residential user fees for solid waste collection will increase from $28.95 to $33.50. That is a $4.55 increase and that’s not what we were given before,” referring to the contract with Waste Management approved by the council last month.
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In a June meeting of the council, a three-year contract with Waste Management was approved and included a $3 per household rate increase. McCauley asked Winslow Finance Director Elias Jouen for an explanation.
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“The negotiation with Waste Management is still fluid and we still don’t have a contract. It is not sustainable at the projected rate we had earlier. The more we get into pricing and cost, that is the proposed rate now.”
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McCauley continued, “This has come to be just since we have adopted the budget? Because we didn’t hear about this in the budget.”
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Jouen responded, “It wasn’t thought of at the time. We had posted the notice on the website for the proposed increase and continued to negotiate with Waste Management. Our estimates at the beginning were fluid. We may have said a $3 increase, but it was estimates and projections. This makes it official.”
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McCauley said, “This puts us in a position where we stated we had adopted a budget and now we are coming back and raising that rate again. Was this rate included in what we had told people their rates were going to be?”
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“I don’t recall telling people what their new rates were going to be,” answered Jouen.
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Further discussion regarding fees continued. McCauley said, “Septic tank dumping will increase from $35 to $55 for tanks under 1,000 gallons. Over 1,000 will increase from $70 to $85 and grease trap disposal will increase from $150 to $220. Again, this is a cause for concern for wild cat dumping because if it’s too expensive for people to dump, that’s what is going to happen. I am afraid we are going to price ourselves out in a way that is going to contaminate our city.”
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Councilwoman Judy Howell added, “I think we asked for everything to be in before we approved the budget and we shouldn’t be asking for more fees after we approved it. I am not in favor of any rate increases at all.”
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Council member Rickey Jackson said, “I just want to add that this is the reason why we have hearings and public comments during the budget session. To change afterward is a concern for me as well.”
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McCauley moved to adopt and amend the ordinances without rate increases. “I move that we approve Section 4.1 Recreation Fees, I move that Section 4.2 McHood Park fees are delayed until after Oct. 15, I move that residential fees for solid waste collection be billed at the $3 increase not the $4.55 increase, as approved in the budget hearing. I would like to see the use of the transfer station fees stay for commercial and residential, and I would like to see the septic dumping fees remain as stated and not raised, same thing with overdue library charges and police record fees stay the same. That is my motion. With it, we are accepting fee reductions and not approving any increases.”
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Councilwoman Samantha Crisp seconded the motion and it passed with a 4-2 vote. Council members Marshall Losey and Robin Boyd entered ‘no’ votes.
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