Garbage fees to increase in October

Residents of Andalusia will see an increase in their garbage fees beginning in October.

The Andalusia City Council on Tuesday approved an ordinance that would increase the monthly household rate for garbage and trash collection to $25 per month per wheeled container. The $5 per month increase would be the first increase since 2017, and only the second since 2008.

"The rates have been the same for seven years," City Administrator John Thompson said. "During this time, we've spent $880,543 on garbage and trash trucks. The price of diesel has increased significantly during that time, as has the cost of labor. Since 2017, inflation has risen a total of 24.4 percent, so you can see that this proposed increase is in line with market conditions."

In addition to the garbage pickup, the fee will continue to include trash collection - things like limbs and debris that are picked up by the city. There will only be an additional charge for that service if a resident fills up more than one truckload at a given time.

"I think most people would agree that we provide a premium service," Thompson said. "Our Public Works Department does an excellent job keeping the garbage and trash picked up."

The ordinance also increases rates for business garbage collections by the same percentage.