Garbage rates may increase

Green River residents might see a garbage bill in 2019 if the city council approves a request from Wyoming Waste Systems.

A vote on the increase was listed on the Council’s agenda Monday night, but it was removed at the start of the meeting in favor of being added to a workshop discussion next week.

According Council documents, Wyoming Waste Systems makes the request through an escalation clause in their contract with the city, allowing Wyoming Waste Systems to adjust its pricing in accordance to the Consumer Price Index for a rolling 12-month period.

A CPI measures the variations in prices consumers pay for goods and services.

City Administrator Reed Clevenger said the increase currently amounts to 2.3 percent over current rates and is built into the company’s contract with the city. Clevenger said if the CPI does not change or decreases over the course of a year, residents won’t see an increase.

“It’s nothing out of the ordinary,” Clevenger said.

According to a letter written by Michelle Foote, site manager for Wyoming Waste Systems, the 2.3 percent increase comes from the September 2018 CPI from the United States Department of Labor.

The company will take the CPI for December 2018, meaning the 2.3 percent might not reflect the final increase amount residents will see on their 2019 bills.

Clevenger said the reason discussion was removed was due to Wyoming Waste Systems wanting to extend its contract for the city’s recycling center due to the recent fire at the city’s solid waste transfer station.

He said the change allows the Council and Wyoming Waste Systems to discuss the contract as well as the rate change.

The workshop is scheduled to start at 6 p.m., Tuesday at City Hall.