Boca Raton, Fla., to Maintain City-run Trash Pickup

Boca Raton, Fla.’s spending package for 2019-20 was recently approved by the City Council. The package features some changes, including updates to the city-run trash collection program.

While the city will maintain its current collection system instead of transferring the services over to a private hauler, it plans to utilize new technology for safety and customer service, as well as increase residential collection costs. According to a Boca Newspaper report, as of October 1, the cost of residential curbside collection would increase by $3.99 to $21.59 a month. Additionally, residents in multifamily units would see an increase of $2.42 to $13.07 a month.

Boca Newspaper has more information:

When you get right down to it, one municipal budget is pretty much like every other.

Boca Raton’s spending package for 2019-2020 approved by the City Council after a two-hour-plus public hearing and vote the night of Sept. 23 includes lots of things that homeowners have seen before: No increase in the tax rate – again; about two dozen new employees coming onto the city payroll; pay raises for all city employees and the like.

But this year, the council made a leap, deciding to maintain city-run trash pickup, and to pump more taxpayer money into the service to make it work better and more efficiently.

During the lengthy budgeting session, council members scrapped the idea of farming out trash pickup to a private hauler, as it considered doing earlier this year. Instead, the city recommitted its support for expanding sanitation services.  Improvements include newer technology for safety and customer service.

Read the full story here.