City trash fee gets a 'yes'

Shelbyville's city council chose Monday to proceed with filling a $770,000 budget shortfall by collecting a monthly fee for trash pickup instead of raising property taxes.

The next step is for the city's power board to discuss the matter when they meet tonight at 5 p.m. at the utility offices on South Main St..

In a meeting that lasted a little over five minutes, city manager Michael Dill repeated what he told council members last week -- that a decision on how to pay for the shortfall must come quickly.

"We have to make a decision because every month we wait, it's a $70,000 hit to the budget," Dill said.

Dill said that the property tax rate would go up as well depending on how long the council would wait to make a choice, if they chose that route.

Now that the decision has been made, the rules governing the fee will be presented to the Shelbyville Power Board tonight, who will vote on the matter.

Following that vote, the rules would go back to the city council as an ordinance that will go through three reading and a public hearing before it is enacted.

The council passed the 2010-2011 budget at the end of June that contained the monthly $11 fee, and Dill said that "if the fee it is, then we need to go on and get to it."

The fee had been proposed last year by former city manager Ed Craig, but the council voted it down citing its unpopularity with residents.

Dill wanted to know if the council was in agreement over the specifics about the rules dealing with the trash fee that was discussed last week.

Councilman Thomas Landers said the majority of people he has spoken to are supporting a fee now, and other council members agreed.

However, councilman Lee Roy Cunningham handed out copies of a list of cuts that he said can be made to the budget.

Cunningham said he didn't want to see anyone laid off from the city, but Dill said that the council had previously looked at some of the proposed cuts "and they just won't work, because the numbers just don't match."

But Dill said he would put Cunningham's list on the agenda of the next study session.

Cunningham suggested saving $57,000 by cutting out pay for the mayor and city council.

Taking out six police cars, one fire department car and a truck and trailer for public works would save $286,000, Cunningham claimed.

Approximately 40 cars being driven home at about $10 a day would save $146,000, the councilman asserted and he also proposed removing one of the city's employees making over $50,000 a year, while having seven others take a 10 percent pay cut.

Finally, Cunningham wants to take $25,000 out of the airport budget and a total of $157,000 out of the recreation center budget, adding up to $770,000 in cuts.