Booneville Announces Garbage and Rubbish Fee Increase Following Vendor Rate Hike
BOONEVILLE, Miss. – Booneville residents will see higher garbage and rubbish collection fees on their next utility bill after the city’s contracted vendor raised service rates, forcing officials to pass along the increase.
For years, the city had been charging $10.05 per household while paying out $14 for the same service, a gap that cost Booneville more than $250,000 annually. City leaders said they had no choice but to raise fees to cover rising expenses.
“The math doesn’t work in that the City was charging $10.05 and paying out $14. We didn’t want to make any increases, however, we could NOT continue to lose over $250,000+ annually,” officials explained in a notice.
New Billing Rates
According to Booneville Gas & Water Billing, the new fees will appear on this month’s statements:
- Garbage Fee (Residential): $16.05 per trash can
- Waste Connection Cost: $14.05
- Booneville Gas & Water Administration Fee: $2.00
- Rubbish Fee: $4.00 per customer
- Prentiss County Garbage Rate billed to the City increased from $4.50 to $6.50
- Previous customer fee: $2.00 → New customer fee: $4.00
Officials noted that Waste Connection has raised its prices in each of the past two years and will re-evaluate rates annually.
City Leaders Respond
Mayor Chris Tucker emphasized that the decision was made reluctantly but was necessary to protect the city’s financial health.
“Hard decisions are sometimes necessary to keep our city financially balanced and able to provide the services our residents depend on every day,” Tucker said. “While no one welcomes an increase, this adjustment ensures that our community remains stable and secure, both now and for the future.”
The Board of Aldermen reviewed multiple options before approving the change but determined that absorbing the additional costs would push the city budget into a deficit.
City officials reaffirmed their commitment to fiscal accountability and thanked residents for their cooperation as Booneville works to maintain essential services in the face of rising costs.
