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Last weekend, reporters Abigail Warren and Michael Waddell looked into the cost of collecting trash in the suburbs, and — to what should have been no one’s surprise — the assessment to homeowners for the service is more expensive. Like most things, I suppose. The various governments are starting to look at their budgets for the upcoming fiscal year that begins July 1. And most of the time, the main concern is the adjustment in property taxes. While making sure first responders will answer the calls for emergencies. But every once in a while, things like the sanitation contract come into play, as is the case in Germantown this year. The six suburbs in Shelby County handle sanitation service in various ways. Some, like Bartlett, Collierville and Millington, do it in-house. Using trucks purchased by the city, work is done by city employees and the municipality pays for hauling it to the landfill. Others contract with a private company to handle the work. That’s where the reason for the Germantown increase comes into play. You see, Germantown’s contract for renewal with Waste Pro comes up this year. Expiration of the 10-year agreement with the sanitation company leads to renegotiation of what the service will cost. Right now, Germantown residents pay $32.35 a month for the service. That is expected to increase to $51.85 in July. Yep, that is significant. But, heck, everything costs more these days, right? Gas. Food. Entertainment tickets. Clothes. Some of the suburbs provide the service on their own. And, granted, those cities can do it for a better price in most cases. For example, Collierville’s monthly cost is going from $27 to $32 in July. Bartlett and Millington — the other two suburbs that provide their own sanitation service — run $30 per month in Bartlett and $26 in Millington. But those cities have already put in the start-up costs for equipment, such as the trucks necessary to do the job. They still have to deal with rising landfill costs and personnel compensation and benefits. But there is something to be said for having your employees doing the work, where you have some direct control rather than dealing with an outside entity when complaints arise. There are a whole lot of files on sanitation companies not properly handling complaints and governments cutting ties because of the problems. But the bottom line to all of this is making sure that whatever the cost, the city — and/or the contractor — pick up the garbage. Because weeks without collecting and the trash piling up on curbs across a city is something that should be avoided. At all costs, I guess. -Suburbs editor, Clay Bailey
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By Abigail Warren, Michael Waddell
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