Lower fee may not lower Franklin garbage bills

Published 8:49 am Friday, December 17, 2010

FRANKLIN—Last week, the Southeastern Public Service Authority voted to reduce the fee municipalities like Franklin pay to dump garbage at its Suffolk landfill.

The $5 per ton savings, effective Jan. 1, doesn’t mean city residents will see an immediate savings in their garbage bills.

City Manager June Fleming told the City Council Monday she received notification from SPSA that the agency would no longer pay for closed landfill monitoring.

“The letter from (Executive Director Rowland Taylor) indicates that they will probably stop paying that fee about March,” Fleming said.

She said the city’s staff did not have time to calculate the additional costs as a result of SPSA’s move.

“There’s a cost that does have to be recovered through fees, so there will be no immediate adjustment to refuse rates until we can look at that…there’s a potential that that cost exceeds the reduction which was given in the tonnage tipping rate,” Fleming said.

SPSA officials said last week, the $145 tipping fee would save Franklin about $9,800 this fiscal year and Isle of Wight County about $45,300. Southampton County expected to save about $21,000.

SPSA serves eight communities in the region, including Franklin, Southampton County and Isle of Wight County.