Residents and businesses should prepare for increased trash rates starting next month.
According to a news release, the city will see a 4.8 percent increase in monthly trash rates starting in November. The increase will change the residential rate for residents with a 65-gallon cart from $15.65 per month to $16.40 per month.
Trash and recycling services in the city have been contracted out to Allied Waste Services since November 2009. The contract allows the company to make an annual rate adjustment that cannot exceed the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for water, sewer and trash-collection services.
According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the CPI is a measure of the average change over time in the prices paid by urban consumers for a market basket of consumer goods and services.
Michelle Gleba, communications manager with the city, said Allied Waste notified the city of the rate increase Sept. 20.