ABOVE: Danville’s Mayor Rickey Williams, Jr and Public Works Committee Chair Mike Puhr assemble with Public Works Committee at the start of Tuesday evening meeting.
Pending full Danville City Council approval, the Council’s Public Works Committee approved some long discussed garbage collection fee changes during their Tuesday (April 9th) evening meeting. For the first time since 2016, monthly fees for regular weekly collections are going up. As of May 1st, they will increase from $23.50 to $25.00. After that, there will be two percent increases for the next four years.
As Danville Director of Public Works Carl Carpenter explained afterwards, this is all designed to keep the city’s public works from going into the red. Because their own dump fees for when they unload their trucks after collections have been on the rise.
AUDIO: The raise that I’m proposing is only going to keep our heads above water. We’re still showing a slight budget surplus at the end of each year. But in order to maintain a budget surplus; so that if something happens, like the yard waste grinder breaking down; we’ve got to have a little money in our reserves.
Danville Director of Public Works Carl Carpenter (left) explains updated solid waste collection fees during Tuesday evening’s Public Works Committee meeting.
Another approved change for solid waste collection is that residents will no longer be able to take advantage of special minor collection fees over and over again. Carpenter says that fee was designed to help residents be able to do garage and spring cleaning type work every so often. But it was not designed to allow people to take a huge mess and drag it out with one minor collection after another, after another, after another.
AUDIO: Everybody will still get their free minor collection, one free minor collection. But after that, instead of only paying $20 for endless amounts of minor collections, it’s going to be $100 for the first extra after your free one, and then $200 for the third and and more in the same year.
Any questions about the updated solid waste collection fees, just call Public Works at 217-431-2288.
Meanwhile, a couple things were approved for work on the Danville Tennis Center in Lincoln Park. One was the amendment of a court improvement contract, and the other was for still to be started work on exterior improvements. Mayor Rickey Williams, Jr. says; yes, lots of contracts have needed adjusting because costs are just coming in higher these days. But he also says, when you look at what’s been happening in Lincoln Park since last summer’s major storm, including the upcoming May 4th and 5th weekend for the unveiling of the Friendly Town improvements, residents should be very pleased.
AUDIO: That whole south side of Lincoln Park is going to look amazing. So I’m just proud of all the great work everyone’s done, and also for those who made the resources possible for us to accomplish these projects.
These approved items will be on the Danville City Council April 16th agenda.
