Kingwood Council votes to increase trash fees by 10-16%

KINGWOOD — Kingwood trash customers, including those who use the city transfer station, are going to see an increase in fees.

Council voted unanimously Tuesday night to begin the process to increase rates 16% at the transfer station and 10% for residential customers.

For in town residential customers that means a rate hike from $15.90 per month to $17.49. Out of town residential customers currently pay $17.26 per month. They also will pay the 10% increase. Business customers, whose rates vary depending on pickups, will also see the increase.

At the transfer station, customers now pay at a rate based on $63.35 per ton. “Only a third of that is actually city garbage,” Recorder Bill Robertson said of the transfer station. “The rest of it is garbage that is brought in from elsewhere.”

The increase isn’t official until it is approved by the State Public Service Commission and passed on second reading. That could take months.

“I don’t think 10% is unreasonable,” Mayor Jean Guillot said, noting other trash haulers in the county all charge residential customers more than $20 per month.

According to a review by an accountant the city hired, the town is in the red $6,000-$7,000 per month at the transfer station and about $8,000 per year on residential and business pickups. It was that loss, which must be supplemented from other monies, that prompted Kingwood to consider a raise.

The last rate increases were in 2007 at the transfer station and 2010 for household pickup.

Councilman Mike Lipscomb noted the town also has more expenses, because tipping fees at the Tucker County Landfill went up 3%.

Council also agreed that Kingwood won’t issue tickets to garbage customers that allow just one free load to be dumped at the transfer station during spring cleanup. That will be considered again after restrictions imposed because of the coronavirus are eased.

In other financial discussions, council voted unanimously to defer payment of the fourth quarter donation of $2,500 to Main Street Kingwood (MSK). Councilwoman Michelle Whetsell, who serves on the MSK board, said the group’s activities are on hold, for the time being.

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