Proposed Peabody Trash Fee, Sewer, Water Rate Hike Debate Set For Tuesday

PEABODY, MA — A proposed $200 trash and recycling fee for Peabody residents, along with unspecified water and sewer rate hikes that Mayor Ted Bettencourt has floated as a way to balance this year's budget and put off the need for a Proposition 2 1/2 override, will be the subject of a City Council Finance Committee meeting on Tuesday.

Committee Chair Stephanie Peach said the meeting will take place at 6 p.m. at City Hall.

"While this is not a public hearing, the chair has the discretion to allow public comment," she said. "As the Finance Committee Chair, public participation will be available in person and remotely via Zoom."

The meeting will take place in the Wiggin Auditorium with the trash fee and sewer/water rate hike the only two substantial items on the agenda.

Bettencourt told the City Council three weeks ago that a $200 trash fee per housing unit would raise $2.7 million for the city at a time when health insurance costs, Essex Tech assessments, and salary costs involved with recent collective bargaining agreements are escalating beyond the tax levy's ability to absorb them without an override.

• Peabody Mayor Proposes Trash Fee, Water, Sewer Rate Hikes Amid Budget Crunch

An online open letter opposing the trash fee, as well as undefined sewer and water fee increases, has since made the rounds on community message boards, with residents encouraging the letter to be sent to City Councilors who will ultimately vote on whether or not to support the fees.

The letter said residents "want greater transparency and accountability regarding how existing tax revenue is being spent before additional charges are imposed."

Bettencourt told the City Council earlier this month that North Shore communities average between $100 and $500 per household for trash and that he is aiming to be "on the lower end of that."

Beverly Mayor Michael Cahill has proposed increasing the trash fee from $100 to $425 in that city as the new contract for automated trash pickup jumped from $3.9 million to $5.4 million per year starting this July.

But that proposal has already run into opposition with the Beverly City Council, which voted Tuesday night to advance a modified increase that would be $300 for most residents, with the option of a $200 fee for those opting for a small trash bin and a $400 fee for those opting for a larger bin than the proposed 64-gallon size.

Bettencourt said Peabody has six years remaining on its Republic Services trash and recycling contract.