The increase is composed of a $0.98 base rate increase and comes at the request of Central Texas Refuse, the city's vendor for solid waste disposal, bringing the rate from $16.37 to $17.35 per month to account for increases in the cost of service. Residents will also see a $0.10 increase to the support cost component of their bill, going from $3.00 to $3.10, Round Rock Utilities Department Director Michael Thane said. This cost covers beautification, operation of the city's recycling center, cleanup and other beneficial city programs around solid waste disposal.
Fuel recovery funds will be paid out of the city's general fund to cover the increased cost of fuel for CTR trucks, Thane said.
The rate increase, Thane said, puts the city in the midrange of similar cities in the area, such as Austin, based on current rates. It also allows for some flexibility in charge structure for pickup, he said.
"Look at Austin, they charge for anything outside of that container," Thane said. "They charge that price for each bag; you have to buy a sticker. I am aware that some of the cities on this list are considering rate increases at the same time we are, so we do not have those with those tonight, but we're sitting here in the middle of the pack right now."
