MEMPHIS, Tenn. — People in Memphis are arguing the city needs to do something to clean up its streets and neighborhoods.
However, the division of city government that picks up the city’s trash is millions in the red and said to make needed improvements which could cost millions more. In total, the solid waste department said it has a shortfall of more than $7.5 million and 100 less employees than it did in 2016.
The Memphis Solid Waste Department floated three options to the city council Tuesday to help address these issues, none of which were cheap. The price tags quickly led to questions and concerns from council members like Chairman Martavius Jones.
“I don’t see how it’s logical for us to think that we’re going to have a cleaner city when we have 100 fewer people doing the job, when we talk about the bulk waste being three times what it was,” said Jones.
While the city claims the plans presented would increase curbside pickup, hire more workers and enforce illegal dumping violations, the least expensive option would be raising everyone’s solid waste fees by 47% over the next five years, while the most expensive would be raising fees by as much as 59%.
Some like Chairman Jones worry this could be an unfair burden when so many Memphians live paycheck to paycheck. If approved as it was, everyone would pay for the same increase no matter how much they make.
“They’re paying the same amount of money that someone in the most affluent area pays,” said Jones, who suggests instead building the fee into the property tax.
Moving forward, before signing off on any rate hike, council members like Worth Morgan want to be part of the conversation.
“We’ve got to get a little bit more up to speed about what we’re being told in here versus what is actually happening on the ground,” said Morgan.
The solid waste department is looking into Councilman Jones’ property tax idea.
This discussion also comes as the Memphis City Council heard from MLGW about its proposed 12% rate hike. This increase will be the subject of City Council’s next meeting on Thursday.