City Council Considering Service Cuts

At the Port Huron City Council Meeting on Monday night, City Engineer Bob Clegg gave a presentation on the solid waste fund and its dwindling fund balance. City officials are predicting that the fund will be operating in the red by 2015. “We continue to see the fund balance falling off, even though we have controlled some of our expenses,” Clegg said. “Because of that, we thought it was time to bid out those services.” Three firms bid on the services, which offering prices for continuing the current services, or continue the current services but eliminate recycling pick up and leaf vacuuming. All the bids that continued current services would put the fund into the red. Options that eliminated every-other-week recycling pick-up and leaf vacuuming would allow the fund balance to improve. Clegg said council would have the option of asking voters to approve a Headlee Amendment override to increase the solid waste tax by 0.1872 mill to cover the cost of additional services as well. If approved, that increase would raise approximately $100,000 and would cost each user between $9 and $14 annually. The City Council did not vote on the proposals last night, but Clegg said he would bring an official proposal to them for the Feb. 25 meeting.