MORGANTOWN — Morgantown residents will likely see a jump of just over $2.00 in their monthly trash bills come March.
During a brief Tuesday committee of the whole session, a quorum of Morgantown City Council moved a new five-year contract with Republic Services forward for consideration.
The new contract, which would take effect March 1, will bump the monthly cost for residential trash and recycling pickup to $21.35 per month, plus the 10.25% fuel surcharge allowed by the West Virginia Public Service Commission.
Morgantown customers are currently paying a base rate of $19.28 each month per the existing five-year deal, which was signed in March 2018. That contract was set to expire on Sept. 30, 2022 but was ultimately extended through February.
The base rates, minus surcharge, will climb to $22.84 in year two and top out at $27.99 in year five of the new deal.
As was previously reported, Republic intends to provide every residential customer a gray, 96-gallon wheeled trash cart to go with the existing, green 35-gallon recycling containers.
Republic representative Renee Shipley said the new trash carts should be delivered to customers within six weeks after the new contract is signed.
In an effort to address communication issues that have plagued Morgantown’s service in the past, the hauler has also pledged to implement a new website and feedback portal that will allow it to more efficiently address missed service or other complaints.
Shipley said that website remains a work in progress.
“You can access things, such as your schedule. You can access resources for education on recycling … If you have a question or concern you can log it into this website and we will receive that information and be able to process it from there,” she said. “It’s going to really give people a lot of access to information right at their fingertips that maybe they’re not used to having.”
According to the Morgantown Utility Board, which handles residential trash billing for the city, there were approximately 6,650 residential customers as of late October.
Commercial rates vary widely depending on the size of the receptacles and the number of pickups per week.
In other news from Tuesday’s meeting, council agreed to take up a zoning reclassification for three parcels — 261 Willey St. and 544 and 552 North Spruce Street — from B-1 (neighborhood business) to B-4 (general business).
Development Services Director Rickie Yeager said the request was made because the current use of the parcels, considered “fraternity or dormitory,” are non-conforming in a B-1 district, meaning if the structures are vacated for more than a year, the non-conforming use goes away.
The request came to the city on behalf of Alpha Phi House Corporation and Theta Chi Chapter House Corporation.
