Garbage rates in Sisters increase

The Sisters City Council agreed - with significant reservations - to a 4.5-percent rate increase in the rates High Country Disposal charges for garbage collection in the City of Sisters. The rate increase goes into effect on July 1.

It currently costs $12.80 per month for a 35-gallon container in the City of Sisters; a 65-gallon container is $16.59; a 95-gallon $22.64. The increase also applies to commercial accounts.

At the same time, the recycling center will have its hours of operations reduced to four days a week; manned only 16 hours of that time. Which days it will be open remains to be determined, though Public Works Director Paul Bertagna told The Nugget that the center will definitely be open both days of the weekend.

The future of the four-year-old, $416,000 Sisters Recycling Depot is up in the air. When the center opened in 2007, Deschutes County had agreed to provide staffing. Plunging county revenues forced the closure of transfer stations over the past two years. Last year, under pressure from the city council, particularly Councilor Pat Thompson, the Deschutes County Commissioners agreed to provide $25,000 for one year to continue part-time staffing of the center.

Recyclables do not pay for the operation of the center.

Councilors expressed concern about those issues in discussing the July 1 rate increase.

Councilor Sharlene Weed said, "I will go along with this under the condition that we do some community outreach and find out what the community wants for the future of the recycle center. That means coming up with... what it would cost us to operate the center seven days a week, four days a week, or just on the weekends, different options, and how much would it cost. (Then ask the community) do you want us to close it, do you want it two days per week, whatever."

Thompson would not support the rate increase.

"I'm going to vote no on this," said Thompson. "It is not because I don't think that HCD is doing a terrific job, because I think they are doing a great job not only with the service in town but also with the recycling

center."

However, Thompson continued, "The ratepayers are getting a 4.5-percent increase without having any input from the them (ratepayers) whatsoever.

We are actually cutting what is available to them by cutting the hours of the recycling center.

We are letting the county out of something they have committed to (operation of the recycle center)...

We have not looked at any other options.

Every option that we were given included the 4.5-percent rate increase.

We could have looked at reducing services, we could have looked at reducing HCD's cost of doing business in this town by lessening our franchise fee (or) by lessening the rent on the property.

I don't feel good about it.

I don't feel that we did a good job of looking at all the options before we charged them (taxpayers)."