Quote:
Originally Posted by Jazuela
I would say then, rather than not raise the price, or charge nothing for the months that snowbirders aren't there..something like this:
A minimum required monthly fee for every household, for once-weekly pickup. It would cover the trash contractor's minimum costs of doing business plus minimal profit margin required to continue servicing the Villages.
The second day's pickup would be billed to those who want that second day's pickup. It would not be a minimal charge, and it would be a subscription service, with a minimum 3 consecutive month charge.
The second day would also include the recycling and yard waste, and you'd pay for it even if you don't have any yard waste or recycling to do that week. Your second-day fee would include these services, and you can use or not use them however you see fit.
Sort of like - I pay amenity fees every month, whether I'm living down there to use those amenities or not. I can't tell them "Oh I'm not there 6 months out of the year, I don't have to pay for them til I get back."
In other words, everyone pays a minimum, for minimal service whether they use it or not. If you want more than the minimal service, you have to pay extra.
That way the contractor gets what he needs to keep his people paid, his machines in good condition, all HIS fees paid, and the only time you pay extra is if you choose to opt in to the extra fee for extra services.
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Not poohpoohing your ideas but I can see issues real quick. There is a lot of administration work being added here, think of any other place you have lived do they let you drop and pickup services when you are gone? I can not understand why people come to The Villages and want things from government here that they can not and never would get from any other government entity.
Next would be one person getting the service on the street and 20 households putting out trash on their driveway. It would happen real quickly. The issue here is not the cost of picking up the trash or recycling, it is the cost of disposing of it after pickup. That price has gone up significantly and is not going to go down. No one wants it and no one is willing to build a dump close or pony up for a waste to energy plant. This is a bigger issue than just how many times waste is pickup.