Memphis, Tenn., Passes Trash Rate Hike

The Memphis, Tenn., City Council has approved a trash rate hike, which will add roughly $7.16 to the average residential bill.

The Memphis Commercial Appeal reports that after a previous vote against the rate increase, the city’s mayor claimed 199 sanitation workers and 75 temporary employees would lose their jobs if more revenue wasn't found for the solid waste department. He also claimed that recycling would be cut down to once a month and nothing on the curb would be picked up.

Those potential cuts prompted the City Council to pass the measure.

Commercial Appeal has more information:

Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland's gambit worked. The Memphis City Council rescued a trash rate hike from the dead and passed it Tuesday, just two weeks after it had voted against it.

After that previous vote, Strickland said 199 sanitation workers and 75 temporary employees would lose their jobs on Jan. 6, 2020 if more revenue wasn't found for the solid waste department.

Strickland also said recycling would be cut down to once a month and nothing on the curb would be picked up.

Read the full article here.