Residents in New Orleans gathered in the Lower Ninth Ward Tuesday night at a meeting hosted by city councilmember Jason Hughes to voice concerns about a proposed trash and recycling fee increase. People questioned the timing of the rate hike, transparency of city officials, and impact on services ahead of a city council vote later this week.
“What happens to that money? Where has that money gone?” one attendee asked during the meeting.
The proposal would raise fees for most residents by $8.25 per month, bringing people’s total monthly sanitation bill to $32.25. If approved by the City Council, the new rate would remain in effect through December 2027. The plan also includes room for future fee adjustments based on inflation and sanitation contract costs.
“I feel like there needs to be some sort of parameter on that,” one woman said.
Attendees also expressed dissatisfaction with reduced services, including the shift from two trash pickups per week to one years ago.
“There are things that are lacking in the itemization of the way we’re being served for sanitation in the first place,” Rachel Simone, a longtime Lower Ninth Ward resident, said during the meeting.
Simone called the proposed rate hike untimely and expensive.
“We are not being given anything in exchange for this increase,” Simone said. “We’re not giving anything that increases the trust, the public and general trust around what it means for these services to be delivered.”
A state audit requested by Mayor Helena Moreno revealed the city’s trash fees have been unchanged for 15 years, not keeping up with inflation. Meanwhile, garbage collection companies contracted by the city have continued to charge more annually, resulting in a $21 million deficit last year, which was covered by taxpayer money from the general fund.
“We got to this point by kicking our problems down the road,” Councilmember Hughes said. “The sanitation deficit didn’t just appear today or yesterday or this year. This deficit has been staring us in the face and growing over many, many years.”
This year’s deficit is projected to reach $25 million.
For residents who missed Tuesday’s meeting, another community discussion is scheduled for Wednesday at 6 p.m. at Saint Maria Goretti Church on Crowder Boulevard. The City Council is set to vote on the proposed fee increase Thursday at City Hall.
READ MORE:‘Untimely and expensive’: People rail against trash bill increase
