County raises solid waste fee for homeowners

Sedgwick County homeowners will see a slight uptick in a fee paid on their property tax bills.

Solid waste fees will increase by a dollar after the Sedgwick County Commission approved the change 4-1 on Wednesday. Commissioner Richard Ranzau voted no.

The revenue raised from the increase will help pay for tree debris collections after flooding and other storms.

The county will levy $5.88 per residential property in 2018 for its solid waste fee, which helps pay for programs like debris and waste collection. The current rate is $4.88 after it was lowered from $6.48 two years ago.

Fees for nonresidential properties like businesses will range from $4.44 to $7.87 per year in 2018. Properties with multiple tenants will pay $5.58 per tenant space.

Lorien Showalter Arie, the county’s budget director, said the increase should generate about $226,000. Residential property owners pay a flat rate, while businesses and other property owners pay a rate based on how much waste they produce, divided into tiers.

The fee is added to property tax bills. The county had to choose whether to assess a fee by July 1 under state law for implementation the next year. Wednesday’s vote happened during the last regularly scheduled commission meeting for the month.

Commissioner Jim Howell, who has focused on stormwater management after floods in Derby, Mulvane and rural southern Sedgwick County last year, said the increase was “a potential way to get some additional work done.”

“It does provide a chance for us to get ahead on some of this stuff,” Howell said. “Right now, we’re not keeping up with it.”

Commissioner David Dennis, who said he worries about flooding from the Cowskin Creek in his western Sedgwick County district, said the fee would affect most homeowners by a few pennies.

“It will pay big dividends in the long run,” Dennis said. “We can always adjust it next year.”

Ranzau said he felt the increase was not necessary and was proposed at the last minute. He also said there weren’t enough specifics about what the increase would fund.

This story was originally published June 14, 2017 at 1:57 PM with the headline "County raises solid waste fee for homeowners."