Peoria residents are likely to see a significant jump in their solid waste utility rate in the coming years.
City staff has generally recommended an across-the-board increase in the solid waste rate of 15% in fiscal year 2024 and 14% in fiscal year 2025, compared with their current residential solid waste rate.
Council will consider the increases at a public meeting, 6 p.m., May 16, 8401 W. Monroe Street.
If approved, the proposed rates would become effective at the beginning of the new fiscal year, July 1, 2023.
Regular service, which includes one trash and one recycle barrel, would be $20.65. Each additional barrel would be $16.92.
Effective July 1, 2024, rates would be $23.55 a month. Each additional barrel would be $19.29.
Council could decide not to implement these rates or change them at the May 16 meeting, or before.
The jump reflects a number of significant economic changes over the years related to the pandemic, drought, rapid inflation, fuel, supply chain issues, and the slowdown in the housing market.
All these factors are impacting the cost recovery model and have rendered past comprehensive rate studies no longer viable, officials say.
Officials said city departments have been plagued with high inflation since it began to increase in mid-2021, and then peaked at 9.1% in June 2022.
The annual inflation rate remains at its highest since the early 1980s, and the city continues to struggle.
Public Works Director Jay Davies said this has led to significant cost increases, and added that with so many expenses going up with solid waste and recycling, “The numbers make clear that our current rate model is feeling a lot of pressure,” he said.
Philip Haldiman can be reached at phaldiman@iniusa.org, or on Twitter @philiphaldiman. We’d like to invite our readers to submit their civil comments, pro or con, on this issue. Email AZOpinions@iniusa.org.
Meet Philip Haldiman is an award-winning journalist who most recently took first place for investigative reporting in 2023 from Arizona Newspapers Association. He joined Independent Newsmedia, Inc., USA, in 2015, covering Sun City West his first year. Since 2016, he has covered the city of Peoria. Prior to coming to INI, he was a reporter with The Arizona Republic for seven years, covering numerous cities throughout the Valley. Before that, he was a freelance writer.
Community: Haldiman spearheads the Peoria Independent Hometown Heroes Awards program, honoring local individuals and businesses that give back to the community. He has hosted local candidate forums over the years and is a member of the Society of Professional Journalists. Haldiman also served as a member of the Journalism Program Community Advisory Board at Glendale Community College. Outside journalism, Haldiman served as a member of the city of Peoria Complete Count Committee for the Census, 2019-2020. Lastly, he has served as a member of his HOA governing board since 2021.
Education: Arizona State University with a BA in Journalism and Mass Communications and a BA in Theater.
Random Fact: Haldiman is a fourth-generation Arizonan as well as wrote and produced an autobiographical comic book about his time spent in Hollywood and his life as a cult film star.
Hobbies: He enjoys hiking Arizona’s mountainous landscapes and is currently working on a play for the stage.
By 
Comments
No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here