Julie Jackson of Republic Services, left in bottom row, talks at the council’s work session Monday.
Inflation is showing up in different places, and next year it will hit your bills for trash collection in Albany. Republic Services will increase its prices just under 6 percent starting Jan. 1, the company has told the city council.
Under its franchise with the city, the disposal company can adjust its prices once a year based on a combination of three factors, all weighted differently: the Consumer Price Index, the price of low-sulfur diesel fuel, and the disposal rate at the Coffin Butte Landfill, also run by Republic Services.
Its calculations showed that by this past June, the CPI had gone up 3.6 percent since June 2020, the price of diesel had jumped 30.4 percent, and the landfill disposal rate was up 2.1 percent. Combined, this yields a 5.9 percent price hike for trash collection in Albany in 2022.
“Pretty high,” said Julie Jackson, Republic’s municipal relations manager in this area. But she reminded the council during Monday’s work session, held on Zoom as usual, that there had been no increase in 2021Â or 2020. And she expected the next price jump to be lower. Overall, she said, the company averages increases of about 2.5 percent a year.
Under the pricing agreement made several years ago, the council does not have to approve Republic’s rates. In past years Councilwoman Bessie Johnson has objected to the rate being set according to an inflexible formula. But she missed Monday’s session. (The mayor said she was having surgery and asked for prayers for her.)
This increase amounts to $1.61 a month per residential account.
In September, Republic raised monthly bills in Albany by $2.95 to pay for weekly yard debris collection, which previously had been done every two weeks. The weekly service has been welcomed by many customers, Jackson told the council.
She also said the company had just about solved a problem of not having enough drivers. Once two new hires complete their training, the crew should be one away from being fully staffed. (hh)
So another ~$3 per billing cycle and still no smaller trash cans available…
And THAT was one of the “inferred promises” when the council permitted the weekly yard pick up. Not that that extra $.15 or so “franchise fee” goes into the city coffers and it only costs us $3.
REPUBLIC has THIS city council in its’ pocket for a few pennies a month.
They used to offer a 20 gal can, which was the 30 gallon can with a baffle.
Make the bastards buy some baffles and make 20 gal. cans available. how about an incentive for us to not be wasteful and offer 5 & 10 gal. options. WHY NOT RAY & REPUBLIC. You try to act like real earth muffins.
REPUBLIC REFUSES to accept cash for payment. How “American” is that? Haven’t they read the part about “legal tender for ALL debts, public and private”? Why aren’t they forced to comply RAY?
Their weekly yard waste disposal is detested by many more than those that like it.
Several years ago, they were given a mid year increase when fuel prices increased, They never came back to ask for a reduction when fuel prices went back down. Tell them to suck eggs
Since the weekly yard waste pick up has started, I’ve had 1 EACH missed pickup for garbage and yard waste. They are ignoring my request for a bill reduction, WHY? Maybe Julie Jackson can explain that.
Not saying Republic’s representative is right, but how the hell would you know if it’s popular or not, Mr. Kaupaun? Your little circle of friends? The toxic negativity of bots on Facebook groups? The typical 10 commenters on this blog? Without a statistically-valid, transparent survey one can only speculate about the sentiment of the majority of the community thinks about weekly yard debris service.
Perhaps it is a stretch to conclude that …”without a statistically-valid, transparent survey”… one is unable to ascertain if an increased rate for garbage service is popular, or not. Common sense might suggest a majority of people, if given the choice, would vote for lower prices at the gas pump, lower prices at the grocery store, lower property taxes, lower income taxes, lower fuel prices, lower electricity prices, etc., and lower service fees, including garbage service. Or, if not lower prices, the majority of people if given the choice would likely at least not vote for increased prices for these goods and services. There will be outliers, of course, and you may find yourself in that group. This is, admittedly, a non statistically valid conjecture on my part.
Of course! Who doesn’t love low prices… People also like convenience and simplicity. There’s a truth somewhere there in the middle, but alas compromise in the middle ground is in short supply these days. As I said previously, Republic has more than their share of issues in their services to Albany, but to gauge the entire community’s opinion of something based on the word of the usual suspects in this blog’s comment section or the keyboard jockeys of social media is a fool’s game.
As you aptly demonstrate. You have not shown one iota of evidence EITHER, yet you feel your opinion means more than mine? Typical LIB/Socialist behavior.
YES B.K.
Dirty Bastards….the $$ sucking kind, no doubt.
Oh and yah at the Pump. What do we do???
planning an escape…..we can go together if you give up on TRUMP!!!!