The City of Andalusia’s fees for garbage services will increase $5 to $20 per month, effective April 1, 2017.

The cost will be the same, per hobo, for all of those businesses and residences that have weekly pickup service.

“Basically, our customers will seen o change in services,” Mayor Earl Johnson said.

The mayor said it costs, approximately $1 million per year to provide the current level of services.

“Right now, we are collecting approximately $750,000 a year (in garbage fees). “The rate increase will bring us up to level ground.”

Garbage fees were last adjusted in 2008.

“They’ve been the same for nine years,” Johnson said. “I don’t know of many business people whose prices are still the same as nine years ago.”

In addition to the garbage pickup, the fee will continue to pay for trash collection – things like limbs and debris that are picked up by the city. There will only be an additional charge for that service if a resident fills up more than one truckload at a given time.

The council previously had discussed potential changes to the city’s curbside recycling program, but decided to keep the service the same for customers.

According to a fact sheet provided to council members two weeks ago, only 25 percent of the city’s 4,274 garbage customers participate in curbside recycling.

While the city has been sorting the recyclable materials to sell, it will now pay to have the materials hauled to Pensacola, where a salvage operation will sort them.

In other business, the council:

• Agreed to purchase 10 defibrillators to be placed in city buildings.
• Reappointed Willie Locke to the Housing Authority.
• Announced three openings on the tourism and relocation committee.