Next month those who live in the city of Arnold will begin paying more for trash, recycling and yard waste removal services provided Republic Services.
Arnold residents will pay an additional $4.36 per month for trash and recycling removal service, and for those who use Republic Services’ yard waste removal service, which is optional with a three-month commitment, the price will increase by $3.52 per month.
Beginning July 1, residents will pay $21.12 per month for trash and recycling pickup, and they will pay $16.57 per month for yard waste removal. Residents were paying $16.76 per month for trash and recycling pickup and $13.05 per month for yard waste removal.
“I certainly will understand people who are surprised or unhappy with the rate increase,” City Administrator Bryan Richison said. “It is significant, roughly 26 percent, which is a large increase. I still believe that (residents) are getting a way better deal than they would if they were trying to get a trash company on their own. I think if Arnold didn’t have a contract, they would be paying more for potentially less service than what they get now.”
Richison said Arnold residents are paying less than at least three other communities that use Republic Service, including Jennings, whose residents pay $21.49 per month; Pine Lawn where residents pay $24.02 per month; and Wildwood whose residents pay $31.92 per month.
He said he knows of two Arnold employees who live in Imperial, where residents have to arrange their own trash service, and are paying more for trash pickup only.
Richison said City Clerk Tammi Casey told him she pays American Eagle $24 per month, and that service does not include hauling recyclable waste, and Arnold Police Chief Brian Carroll said he pays American Eagle $29 per month for trash service only after previously paying Republic Services $32 per month.
“In talking with Republic, the increase is driven by having to pay more for drivers,” Richison said. “(The price increase) is in line with the other price increases that we are seeing because of the job market situation.”
City Council members voted 6-0 on June 15 to approve a five-year agreement with Republic Service to handle residential and municipal waste removal, with increases to be phased in each of the five years. Ward 1 Councilman Jason Fulbright and Ward 4 Councilman Butch Cooley were absent from the meeting.
After the initial increase this year, trash and recycling services and the optional yard waste removal services will increase by 4.5 percent each year, according to the contract.
Trash and recycling pickup will cost $22.07 per month starting in July 2024, $23.06 per month starting in July 2025, $24.10 per month starting in July 2026 and $25.19 per month starting in July 2027.
Yard waste removal will cost $17.32 per month starting in July 2024, $18.09 per month starting in July 2025, $18.91 per month starting in July 2026 and $19.76 per month starting in July 2027.
Arnold has contracted with Republic Service for at least 10 years, Richison said.
Previously, the city had subsidized the cost for residents’ trash service, but Arnold ended that subsidy in July 2021 due to financial reasons, and Republic Services started billing and charging residents the full cost for trash services at that time.
“I think (Republic Service) has done a good job,” Richison said. “We have had a couple of different account managers, and they have all been responsive. There were some issues during COVID, when they were short on employees. They focused on trash and recycling, and some of the people who paid for yard waste removal would have times when that didn’t get picked up. We talked with them, and (Republic Services) refunded some people.
Richison said city officials did not seek prices from other trash services after discussing the matter with City Council members during a closed meeting in December.
He said the city did not ask for bids because there was little evidence another company would offer a better price for the same services. In addition, changing trash removal companies would have created some obstacles to overcome.
“No one (on the City Council) expressed an interest to seek bids,” Richison said. “It is possible that we could have gotten a better rate, but you don’t know. It is possible if Republic had to bid it, they could have bid the rate they gave us or they could have gone lower or higher. I think the council’s feeling was we were not going to get a better deal.
“We also talked about the transition. I have been through them before, and they are a headache. Something always goes wrong, and people get upset. People will not get the trash cans they are supposed to because the previous company will miss taking back their trash cans and the new company will miss giving someone a new trash can. It is just a turbulent event no matter how much you plan for it.”