MORGANTOWN — The Morgantown Utility Board (MUB) will be ready to take over trash and recycling billing for Republic Services’ residential customers in Morgantown on May 1.
MUB General Manager Tim Ball explained as much March 19 during MUB’s regular monthly meeting.
The board approved a memorandum of agreement (MOA) between MUB and the city to take over trash billing services. The same document is in the agenda packet for tonight’s Morgantown City Council meeting.
The move to allow MUB to handle billing will set up a single-payer system through the city in which Republic will no longer have to determine which customers are up do date with their payments. The city pays Republic. Republic picks up everyone’s trash. MUB handles billing collections from customers and delivers those funds to the city.
The city will pay MUB $70,000 annually to cover the cost of billing, plus a one-time setup cost of $40,000.
In other MUB-related news, the utility will increase its minimum wage to $15/hour in order to keep pace with a similar increase being implemented for city employees.
Ball explained that MUB currently pays a minimum hourly wage of $12. It was explained that the increase would impact about 20 percent of the utility’s workforce.
Ball said he expects the move will not please everyone, and may cause some employees with time on the job to feel their experience is being devalued.
To that end, employees making less than $17.50/hour will receive an hourly raise of at least 50 cents. For those earning between $17.50 and $18, the raise will be less as $18 is the upper cap for these transitional increases.
As examples, a minimum-wage employee will jump from $12 to $15. An employee currently earning $14.75 will jump to $15.25 and an employee currently earning $17.75 will jump to $18.
The increases will take effect July 1 and will be separate to any cost of living adjustment (COLA) included in MUB’s upcoming budget. Ball said he anticipates employees will receive a 3 percent COLA.
