City Commissioners approved a plan Wednesday to reduce solid waste rates. The move came after officials announced the city has nearly $18-million left over from last year’s budget.
City Manager Rick Fernandez said the $17.6-million surplus comes from efforts to save, including changes made by the city’s bus service, StarMetro.
“That was done through efficiency of routes, the handling of their parts and labor,” Fernandez said.
And Fernandez said significant savings also came from a reduction in fuel costs. But Commissioner Scott Maddox questioned whether a reduction in solid waste fees would really be the fairest way to dole out the city’s surplus funds—especially in light of the property tax increase the city passed for the coming year.
“We’re going to rebate dollars back to everyone that has garbage service—that means we’re going to rebate dollars back to people who don’t pay property taxes, or taxes of any kind—so non-profits, state government, all would get rebated dollars back. I think if we’re going to rebate dollars back we should give them to the people we just hit them with an increase, the people who own property,” Maddox said.
Meanwhile, Commissioner Nancy Miller asked whether the money could be used for other projects – like funding more jobs at the city’s Consolidated Dispatch Agency.
But Mayor Andrew Gillum said it makes sense to return the savings where they came from.
“The reason I like the recommendation from staff to give the money back in the areas that over-performed is because that’s where we collected it from." Gillum said.
And Gillum points out, just a small part of the surplus stems from the city’s general fund, which is the pot of money the property tax increase is meant to prop up. After a lengthy discussion Wednesday, commissioners voted in favor of the plan, meaning citizens should expect to say a 5 percent dip in solid waste fees. Tallahassee utilities is also planning to reduce natural gas and electric rates to reflect a trend of dropping energy prices.
