Cookeville seeing positive financial results from the trash rate increase it put into effect last November.
Public Works Director Mary Beth Elrod said her department showing revenue 53 percent higher than projections from the rate increase. Elrod said the extra income is due to a rising number of trash service customers in the city combined with the higher rate.
“Hopefully we can stretch our penny as far as we can with this rate increase and be able to maintain our plans that we had budgeted to get at least one truck per year,” Elrod said. “And hopefully more trucks per year as long as the rates of the trucks don’t go up astronomically like we’ve seen in the past.”
Elrod said it is exciting to see this financial boost because her department needs to expand its services alongside the city’s growth. Elrod said she is hopeful that this success will allow them to avoid another rate increase for eight to ten years.
“After COVID we saw a huge spike in the cost of our trucks that we have not seen in years past, and that’s really what drove the rate increase was that large increase in truck costs to buy a new truck,” Elrod said. “So hopefully, as long as we don’t have any economic issues or impacts that would impact us kind of like COVID did then hopefully we can stay and keep the rate increase just at this current point.”
Elrod said the higher projected income allows the department to continue forward with its plans for a fourth residential trash route in addition to a new trash truck in the next fiscal year. Elrod said the rate increase has gone smoothly as locals understand the need and see the ongoing growth of the city.
“Everyone sees that trash services need to be improved as we grow,” Elrod said. “And so we hope to just service everyone quicker and get more trucks on the road and more men on the road.”
