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ELKINS – The Elkins City Finance Committee is set to review a possible sanitation rate increase for customers, the first in over a decade.
The City of Elkins announced Thursday that, on Monday, Nov. 9, the City’s Finance Committee will review a proposed sanitation rate adjustment. If recommended by the committee, the City says the proposal would be considered for adoption by Elkins City Council before the end of 2026. If approved by City Council, it would begin going into effect in early 2027.
For a typical residential customer, the proposal would increase the monthly sanitation charge from $19.54 to $26.00, the City states. A typical business using a 2-yard dumpster with weekly collection would see its monthly sanitation bill increase from $71.15 to $94.67. The City says the exact impact on individual businesses would would vary according to dumpster size and collection frequency. Detailed rate schedules will be made available as part of the public review process.
“The City's sanitation rates have not increased since 2010, despite steep ongoing increases in the cost of providing this essential service,” The City’s press release states. “Since 2010, the City has absorbed multiple increases in disposal costs charged by the transfer station where refuse is delivered, along with rising costs for fuel, vehicle maintenance, equipment, personnel, insurance, and other operational necessities.”
According to the release, in 2022, the City's Sanitation Department expanded sanitation services by introducing free monthly Bulk Pickups, allowing residents to dispose of one large item per month at no additional cost. Special Pickups remain available for a nominal fee when customers need to dispose of a larger number of items at once. Then in 2025, the City completed a $1.5 million project to construct a modern sanitation operations facility, replacing outdated infrastructure and improving working conditions for sanitation employees.
“According to financial analysis performed for the City by an independent accounting firm, the rates established in 2010 no longer generate sufficient revenue to cover projected operating costs, debt obligations and capital needs,” the release states. “Without a rate adjustment, the sanitation utility is projected to operate at a deficit, making it increasingly difficult to maintain current service levels, replace aging equipment, and invest in the infrastructure needed to continue offering this essential service safely and efficiently.”
The City says the proposed new rates would “help ensure that Elkins can continue providing reliable sanitation services by keeping pace with rising operating costs, maintaining modern equipment and facilities and supporting the workforce responsible for collecting and disposing of the community’s refuse.”
The Finance Committee will meet on Monday, Nov. 9, at 1 p.m. at the Phil Gainer Community Center.