City Council splits on apartment trash collections, zooms in on budget deal.
By Scott Taylor
Staff Writer

LEWISTON – With only the fate of trash collection at Lewiston apartments undecided, councilors Tuesday said they were prepared to pass their 2004 budget.

Councilors could pass the $37 million budget next Tuesday if they can settle their differences on a plan to stop regular trash collections at apartments with four or more units.

Councilors Roger Philippon, Renee Bernier and Ron Jean favored cutting the trash collections, for a savings of $220,000 in the budget. Councilors Marc Mason, Mark Paradis and Norm Rousseau disagreed.

“I don’t think it’s fair that a certain segment of our community will be singled out,” Rousseau said. “I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. I think these changes will be passed along to the poorer tenants in our community, who cannot afford it.”

According to the plan, landlords with four-unit or larger apartments could either pay for their own trash collections or pay the city a fee of about $1.35 per unit per week – about $22 per month for a four-unit apartment building. That could save the city $220,000 per year.

“The policy now is, the trash belongs to the city,” Bennett said. “No matter who dumps it where, it’s the city’s responsibility to clean it up. We would shift that policy and make it the responsibility of the landlords and their tenants.”

Councilor Lillian O’Brien, who missed Tuesday’s discussion, said she favored cutting the trash collections. However, councilors need a five vote majority to pass the budget.

City Administrator Jim Bennett will give councilors two budgets next Tuesday. The first would call for cutting the trash collections, setting the city’s mill levy at about $28.87 per thousand dollars of values – about $2,308 on a home valued at $80,000. That is a tax rate decrease of about 2 cents per $1,000 of value.

The second, which would leave the trash collections in the budget, could boost the tax rate to about $29.04 – about 15 cents more on the city’s tax rate and $15 more per year on the $80,000 home.

“Now it’s up to you councilors to decide,” Bennett said.

Consensus

Councilors did reach agreement on a dozen other items, including Bennett’s plan to restructure the city staff. The latest iteration of that plan would eliminate 14 positions – including five current employees – for $537,354 in savings and about 39 cents on the city’s tax rate.

Councilors also signed off on plans to pay for some capital improvements out of fund balances, eliminate a capital reserve for the Lewiston School Department and reduce tax money going to pay for water and sewer services. That could result in those fees increasing, Bennett said. The city will propose to raise the water and sewer fees to the state Public Utilities Commission.

Councilors also voted to end a program that allowed car registration by mail, cut funding to a scholarship program for young city athletes and delay paying for a share of the Androscoggin Humane Society Shelter until fiscal year 2004-05 begins.

Councilors did agree to preserve spring clean-up for most single family homes, but planned to cut collections to apartments of four units or more.

Mayor Larry Raymond said he was eager to see the city adopt its budget next Tuesday, almost four weeks before the May 31 deadline imposed by the City Charter. Councilor Mason said that made him uncomfortable.

“I think this budget has been rushed through,” Mason said. “I would have preferred to have had more time to look over the budget and hear from city staff. I don’t think it’s right doing it this way.”

staylor@sunjournal.com