In his latest "Ask The Mayor" video interview, Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno offers his perspective on city finances and the trash fee. Watch video
SPRINGFIELD — A proposal to raise the trash fee by as much as $29 per barrel per year for the next five years has many residents and officials wondering why an increase is needed.
In his latest "Ask The Mayor" video interview with The Republican city hall reporter Peter Goonan and staff photographer Mark Murray, Mayor Domenic Sarno offers his perspective on city finances, the trash fee and his plan to visit Boston to seek more state aid.
The mayor begins discussing the trash fee issue at the 1:12 mark of the video in response to a question from Goonan about the issue as it relates to the city's fiscal problems. Some highlights from Sarno's answer:
"I have lowered the trash fee from $90 to $75, but I’m now under (Department of Environmental Protection) mandates. By 2020, I have to reduce the trash footprint of disposal by 30 percent or face penalties."
"... So the move to go to 65-gallon barrels. People say why would you buy new barrels? (DPW) Director (Allan) Chwalek indicates that we have to buy new barrels anyway — they’re being worn out — to give the incentive to recycle. In turn, recycling will move to weekly, every week. In turn, the senior discount of $50 will stay. In turn, your old barrel, we’ll allow you to use that for yard waste, which saves you on the cost of bags."
"... I like the proposal of $10, $5, $5, $5 (annual trash fee increases) ..."
"... Single-stream (recycling) ... we’ve won awards for it. We didn’t sit on our hands and say, 'What are we going to do?' "