Huntington Rejects Trash Fee Reduction

The cash-strapped city has rejected a proposal to reduce residents’ trash pickup rates.

The City Council voted 4-3 not to pass along savings from a rate reduction by the city’s trash hauler, Rainbow Disposal Co., which is benefiting from lower fees at Orange County’s landfills. The cut would have been about 46 cents a month for each household.

Councilwoman Shirley S. Dettloff spoke against passing along the reduction, noting that the fee already falls short of what the service actually costs.

According to a city staff report, the refuse collection budget had a shortfall of $489,000 for the fiscal year that ended June 30.

Mayor Dave Sullivan favored passing on the savings to residents, saying that such benefits have typically been passed along. “It’s only fair,” he said.

But the council majority voted to keep the residential trash pickup fee at $16.55 a month through June 30, 1997.