Some Atlanta homeowners might have noticed an increase in their solid waste fees in their latest billing cycle. If so, that’s because City Hall recently took actions to resolve the city’s historically insufficient revenue collections to cover sanitation expenses.
Atlanta City Council documents show that an average residential bill for solid waste collection, recycling, and special services could rise to approximately $616, up from the previous bill of $453. The exact amount for each homeowner will depend on several factors, including the type of property.
In June, Atlanta City Council passed an ordinance to use the city’s general fund to cover expenses for several sanitary services, including backyard and curbside garbage collection, multi-family trash pickup, street sweeping, and dead animal collections.
The city had to create new rates for these services based upon a legal review of the fees and a $19 million settlement.
Atlanta’s trash settlement originated from a lawsuit that alleged Atlanta failed to perform services at several condominiums, townhomes, and apartments.
As part of the settlement, Atlanta is currently disbursing the $19 million to the more than 50,000 property owners who were improperly charged for services they didn’t receive.
A spokesman for the city told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that a third party administrator is handling the payouts. Approximately 8,800 eligible claimants and disbursements were initially scheduled to begin Aug. 19, but some of the claimants missed the window to submit their claims.
The court extended the time period for claim submission, which caused the payout schedule to be adjusted, according to the city spokesman. Now, the payouts are scheduled to begin as of Friday, Sept. 16.
Any residents who wants to dispute their bills can visit Atlantaga.gov to obtain a dispute file, which can be summited to DPWCustomerService@atlantaga.gov with the Subject Line: Solid Waste Bill Dispute.
About the Author
