Five Percent Increase In Cheyenne Trash Collection Fees Proposed

The Cheyenne Public Works Department is proposing a five percent increase in trash fees, according to Public Works Director Vicki Nemecek.

The proposal will go before the Cheyenne City Council Finance Committee on Monday at 11 a.m. Nemecek said Tuesday the department originally planned to ask for an 8 percent increase in the fees.

But at the end of April, the city received its lifetime permit for the Happy Jack Landfill. That permit allows for a vertical expansion on the part of the landfill where trash is currently being collected. She says that will allow putting off a planned expansion project on the landfill for a couple of years or so, which means the department doesn't need to ask for quite as much of an increase as had been expected.

She said the five percent increase being asked for would go for ''a little bit of everything." If it is approved by the city council, it would add about $1.40 per month to the average residential customer's bill, and about $4.85 for the average commercial customer.

But the bill for the optional yard waste program will increase by more than five percent under the proposal, going from the current $7.90 per month to $9.20. Nemecek said that increase would go to pay for an additional route for yard waste collection.