Waterville Township to seek levy for trash collection

8/4/2004

Waterville Township trustees plan to put a five-year, 0.9-mill levy on the November ballot to continue the township's current trash collection and recycling services.

Township voters approved a five-year, 1.2-mill levy for trash collection and recycling in 1997. The levy expired in 2002 and extra funds it generated will run out by early 2005, so the township needs to pass a new levy to continue services.

In its revamped quarterly newsletter sent to residents in June, the township included a survey on what type of trash services it should offer.

The township employs BFI Waste Systems of Ohio and Michigan, Inc., to do curbside pickups of garbage and recyclable materials on the first and third Tuesday of each month.

The newsletter survey asked residents to rank their preferences for four different trash services options. The options were:

●A 1.3-mill levy to provide weekly trash pickup and recycling once a month.

●A 1.1-mill levy to provide weekly trash pickup with no recycling.

●A 0.9-mill levy to provide trash pickup and recycling every two weeks.

●A 0.7-mill levy to provide trash pickup every two weeks and no recycling.

Township trustee Les Disher said surveys were returned by about 70 households, which is roughly 10 percent of the township's population.

About 45 of the survey respondents preferred continuing the township's current trash services, and the other respondents were evenly split between the other three options, so the clear majority wanted services to stay the same, Mr. Disher said.

He said that because property values have gone up and the township population has increased, the township can ask for a smaller millage amount than the expired levy to maintain the same services.

The 0.9-mill levy would generate about $56,500 annually for the township. It would cost the owner of a $100,000 home about $28 each year.