Residents of the City of Petal can expect to see a slight increase on their utility bill, as city officials intend to raise the fee for garbage/rubbish pickup and disposal by $2 per month.
With that measure – which is expected to raise the city’s monthly revenue by $100,800 per month – the minimum charge for garbage service will move from $20.75 per month to $22.75 per month. Residents can request additional trash cans at a monthly rate of $11 each, up from the previous charge of $9 each.
The issue will be voted on at the October 15 meeting of the Petal Board of Aldermen.
“It’s basically a change to our ordinance … and it would go through the regular ordinance process (if it is approved), so it could be December when that would actually affect the bills,” Mayor Tony Ducker said. “It’s basically because of inflation.
“We’re still subsidizing heavily – we pay WastePro $29.15, and so this will make (residents’) bill go up (to the new amount). We were able to make some moves last year that prevented us from going up (on fees), and it’s just kind of caught up with us this year.”
The utility bill, which is commonly referred to as the “water bill,” actually features four services: water, garbage, sewer service and sewer treatment. Of those four services, sewer service is the most expensive.
The bills feature a minimum water charge of $13.25 for 0 to 2,000 gallons of water used. There is a $6 charge for each additional 1,000 gallons used; if over 50,000 gallons are used, that fee drops to $5 per 1,000 gallons.
If more than 100,000 gallons of water are used, the fee drops to $4.50 per 1,000 gallons.
Sewer service is a $33 flat fee, sewer treatment is a $10 flat fee, and the new charge will be the aforementioned $22.75 for garbage, for a minimum total of $79 per month.
If current charges are not paid by the 21st of each month, 15 percent of the total bill is charged as a late fee. If charges remain unpaid on the 16th of the next month, service is cut off and a $75 reconnect fee is charged.
At that time, all charges must be paid to get serviced restored. All bills are mailed out on the 1st of every month.
“It’s just kind of a sign of the times … just rising costs,” Ducker said. “In 2008, trash pickup was $20, so in 15 years it will have technically gone up – what the ratepayer is paying after years of being able to (lower) it – only $2.75.
“Nobody wants to hear that, so obviously it’s something we don’t like to do, and we try to find other ways to make up for it as best we can. The value of our millage (rate of property tax) decreased a little bit this year, so we were able to hold the line on property tax. This is basically a rate we’re being charged that’s being passed on to the customer.”
For comparison, the City of Hattiesburg charges a “new customer” fee of $75. Bills feature minimum $23.30 for water, minimum $23.30 for sewer and $17 for garbage, for a total minimum bill of $63.60.
The minimum amount is based on a 0 to 3,000 gallon consumption. The additional cost per 1,000 gallons is $7.03 for water and $7.03 for sewer.
