Marshfield residents could one day pay for garbage pickup through a separate charge instead of through property taxes, under an idea city officials discussed at a special budget meeting on Monday, Oct. 19.
Finance Director Jennifer Selenske told the Common Council that state levy limits grow mainly with new construction, not with inflation or rising service costs. That can leave the city squeezed when a service such as trash collection gets more expensive faster than tax revenue is allowed to grow.
No change has been approved and no fee amount has been set. Selenske used a hypothetical example of a $500,000 service doubling in price to show the strain a new contract could put on the general fund, stressing the figure was illustrative and not a forecast.
If garbage costs moved out of the levy, the city would also have to lower its property tax levy for that service. Whether households would pay more or less overall would depend on the new contract price and on how a fee was billed, which has not been decided.
The city's current garbage contract is nearing its end, and officials expect to weigh their options for 2028. A separate fee would keep trash costs from competing directly with police, fire, parks and public works in the general fund.
Officials are also studying a possible stormwater utility fee for 2029 or 2030, with money in the proposed 2027 budget for a feasibility study. The council's next budget meeting is Tuesday, Oct. 27, at 5 p.m.
