New Orleans trash fees could jump $100 a year
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios
New Orleans residents could start paying about $100 more per year for trash pickup if the City Council approves Mayor Helena Moreno's request next week.
Why it matters: It would be the first rate increase in 15 years.
The big picture: The current monthly rate of $24 hasn't covered the cost of service for years, administration officials told the City Council on Thursday.
- The city covers the difference, which has been more than $70 million since 2022.
- Officials are also looking at other ways to cut sanitation costs, primarily by identifying erroneous addresses and reviewing a $1.2 million administrative fee the city pays the Sewerage and Water Board.
How it works: The proposed ordinance ties the monthly rate to the cost of the service.
- Residents would pay $32.25 per month, an increase of $8.25.
- Nonresidential customers would pay $64.50, an increase of $16.50.
- The new rate would cover once-a-week trash and recycling pickup.
- If approved, the new rates would start Oct. 1 and possibly be reassessed in March, chief administrative officer Joe Giarrusso says.
Zoom in: The rate increase would not cover a return to twice-a-week trash pickup. That would cost at least $40 per month with recycling, said Matt Torri, the city's sanitation director.
- And even if the council wanted to start twice-weekly pickup today, Torri said the contractors wouldn't have the capacity until 2028.
The other side: Several councilmembers were skeptical of the increase and how it would affect their constituents, particularly those on a fixed income.
- Councilmember Lesli Harris suggested issuing more fines for illegal dumping instead. Councilmember Jason Hughes wanted to know why this couldn't wait until after the holidays.
- Torri says trash pickup would continue as is if the council doesn't pass the ordinance. However, there's only so much money in the city's pot.
Zoom out: The Moreno administration inherited a multimillion-dollar deficit and has been trying to make ends meet.
- Many city employees are required to take an unpaid furlough day every pay period. The city has been successful with finding one-time sources of money, but new fees are needed to keep the city operating, Giarrusso says.
- The goal is that the increased sanitation fee could help end some of the furloughs, he said, but those details are still being worked out.
What's next: The council votes Thursday at its regular meeting on the proposed sanitation rate.