Garbage fee will be center of attention at city's Finance Committee meeting

Published on: 10/20/2011

With four meetings on the schedule, there likely won’t be too many parking spots available around Waukesha City Hall Thursday night.

The Waukesha Transit Commission, the Board of Public Works, the Water Commission and the Finance Committee will all hold meetings within an hour of each other.

But the one that will have everyone talking are the developments at the Finance Committee, which takes place at 6:30 p.m. at the Common Council Chambers inside City Hall. The Committee will discuss and come to a consensus on what to do about the proposed $136 annual garbage fee that was included in the 2012 city budget, which was released a few weeks ago.

City officials, such as Interim City Administrator Steve Crandell and Mayor Jeff Scrima, said a fee was enacted in order to have no tax increases and to avoid cutting city services after the state took away $3.6 million in aid for the upcoming year.

Scrima said should the Finance Committee say no to the budget and fee, they will have to specifically define where the $1.2 to $2.7 million in cuts will come from, whether it is in employees, equipment or services.

As it stands now, the $136 fee is broken down as: $93 for the garbage fee, $37 for the recycling fee and $6 for large items. Currently, residential properties that receive the service will be charged but not business properties or apartments and condominium complexes, since they are required to hire and pay for their own private garbage service.

The mayor also said Public Works Director Fred Abadi will give a presentation on the “Pay as you throw” concept that has been created.

Scrima said it will make residents more accountable for what they throw away and promotes fairness. Abadi will also give the committee four options that range from not cutting any services and employees to cutting a number of areas if the garbage portion remains in the tax levy and not as a fee.

The meeting will be televised on Channel 25.

Here is a link to how some local aldermen, one of whom is on the Finance Committee, feel about the fee:

http://www.waukeshanow.com/news/132077258.html

Before that, the Transit Commission, which has its meeting at 5:30 p.m. in Room 207 inside City Hall, will meet. The main item on that agenda includes discussing and recommending a sponsorship agreement between the city and MillerCoors LLC to provide a free transit service for New Year’s Eve.

Also at that time will be the Board of Public Works, which will discuss and recommend a contract change with Pieper Electric, Inc. for the Frame Park Baseball Diamond Lighting Project.

At 6 p.m. the Water Commission will meet to give an update on the Great Lakes Application as well as discuss the 2012 city budget. The city is in search for a new water source and has had talks with officials in Racine and Oak Creek in late August to purchase Lake Michigan water.

They have also been in contact with Milwaukee officials about setting up negotiations.

Milwaukee would be the closest and could be the cheapest, but it has provided certain stipulations that some Waukesha officials have had reservations about.

Here are some stories on the water debate that took place over the summer:

http://www.waukeshanow.com/news/128687293.html

http://www.waukeshanow.com/news/128272863.html

http://www.waukeshanow.com/news/128272848.html