Bruce Hudson, left, and David Sneed work their garbage collection job Wednesday in Red Bank.IF YOU GO• East Ridge public budget hearing and council meeting: 6:30 p.m. today at East Ridge City Hall, 1517 Tombras Ave.• Red Bank Public budget hearing: 7 p.m. today, Red Bank City Hall, 3117 Dayton Blvd.THE PLANS SO FAR• Red Bank: Red Bank officials are leaning toward billing their garbage fee in-house and raising it from $12 to $18 a month. They also are proposing a separate property tax increase of 25 cents per $100 of assessed value.• East Ridge: East Ridge officials are proposing a 44 cent property tax increase and eliminating the $15-a-month garbage fee.
An ongoing dilemma over garbage bills has two Hamilton County cities toying with different strategies to keep their revenues up.
For years, East Ridge and Red Bank have paid Tennessee American Water to include their residents’ garbage fees on the monthly water bill. Residents were much more likely to pay for garbage pickup if there was a threat their water might be turned off if they didn’t, officials said.
But the water company is dropping its decades-old billing service in October, leaving Hamilton County and Chattanooga sewer authorities scrambling over how to collect sewer bills.
East Ridge and Red Bank, whose sewer service is covered by the Hamilton County Water and Wastewater Authority, must make contingency plans to collect the garbage bills, plans that could take a toll on taxpayers.