Council to consider trash tax increase

There will be a hearing tonight on increasing the Niagara Falls trash fee 1.2% or $2.18 for a single family home from $181 annually to $183.18.

If approved the city in 2027 will pay $5.115 annually to Cassela. It proposes to collect $4.166 million in user fee revenue while kicking in $943,879 from the general fund.

That means 81.4% of cost of collection will be paid by the garbage tax, which the city calls a “fee.” 18.6% will be covered by taxpayer money from the general fund.

The garbage tax was supposed to be temporary and has never been increased from the original $181 in 2017.

Garbage collection in Clarence, from where the Genco family moved to Niagara Falls is by private subscription. In other words, every homeowner is responsible for contracting privately with either of the two current service providers. Modern charges $544.78 annually. Waste Management is at $462.

In other action tonight, the council will revisit several items postponed in previous meetings including:

1. Award of a traffic safety grant for seatbelt enforcement for $13,194.
2. Award of a $63,000 grant to Azar Design for engineering and bidding and construction oversight on alley reconstruction.
3. Agreement to invest $30,000 in added support for the Niagara Orleans Land Improvement Corporation to support its operation. It was previously in front of the council but delayed because members didn’t understand what they were paying for. At last week’s Urban Renewal Agency meeting, Andrea Klyczek, commissioner of the Niagara County Department of Economic Development said in the time Niagara Falls has participated in NORLIC, it has created more than $1.4 million in investments returning properties that had little to no value to productivity.

In new business the council will be asked to approve the sale of 13 6th and 7th Street parcels to Housing Visions, the next step in a previously approved process.

The council will also be asked to approve an agreement to lease train station space to Customs and Border Patrol which will relocate its NEXUS office.