The $2 Question: Where is Fishers’ trash admin fee going?

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Dear Editor:

I attended the Fishers Board of Public Works and Safety meeting on Aug. 13 where the board heard public comments on the proposed citywide trash contract.

While I support the City of Fishers’ initiative to consolidate trash services, I believe it’s important for the citizens to be aware of the details, particularly the proposed $2 per month per household administration fee.

To put this in perspective, neighboring communities have much lower fees: Carmel charges $0.25 per household, Westfield charges $1, and Noblesville absorbs these costs entirely. Mayor Fadness mentioned this fee will fund staffing to manage customer service demands. It was also stated there is a plan to combine trash charges with stormwater and sewer bills, which implies additional printing and postage is unlikely.

During the meeting, the City commented on a recent article claiming Fishers’ proposed rates were the highest in Hamilton County as unfair due to the fact Carmel and Noblesville had superior positions by going into negotiations renewing existing contracts. If you adjust the rates of Fishers and Carmel to remove the respective admin fees, Fishers’ contract then becomes lower priced in the first four years (2025-2028).

I found Carmel has a staff of six representatives and a manager that serves as primary support for around 31,000 Carmel Utilities customers, with many inquiries relating to trash. In Noblesville, the City has a dedicated phone line that goes directly to Republic agents to respond to customer concerns, only involving administrative staff of the City for more complex trash inquiries. Noblesville does, however, still provide billing for trash services and has staff of four utility clerks and a manager that share sewer billing responsibilities.

Let’s break down the numbers: with an estimated 32,333 homes presented on the current contract, this $2 fee would generate $64,666 per month, or $775,992 annually. That’s a significant amount, especially considering the costs of staffing an additional three customer service agents and a team manager, would total around $255,000 in base salaries per year based on the City’s most recent salary ordinance.¹ This would be in addition to the staff already supporting sewer and stormwater billing today.

As a millennial, I consider myself one of the youngest regular attendees of City Council meetings, missing only a handful of meetings since early 2022. I graduated from the City’s Citizens Government Academy in the fall of 2023, a program that I highly recommend as it allows citizens to get an inside look at how local government operates. I say this as it’s very impressive to see all that the City of Fishers accomplishes with the lowest employee counts per capita of all second-class cities in the entire state – something Mayor Fadness proudly presented to the City Council as they approved a mid-year update to the salary ordinance in May.

I have also witnessed how City administration is very methodical and thorough in their planning, and I will say they do their homework to crunch the numbers when it comes to policy recommendations. I cannot comprehend that the proposed $2 monthly admin fee has not already been evaluated or forecasted by the City on how the proceeds will be spent.

This is why I would like to request publicly that the City share its proposed plans for funds raised from the proposed admin fee before the City submits the contract for final approval.

While I support the initiative and the potential savings for residents, I believe it’s crucial for the City to provide a full justification of how these admin fees will be spent, given that they are among the highest in Hamilton County.

Josh Huser
Fishers

¹ According to the City of Fishers’ Salary ordinance dated May 2024, a Customer Support Specialist with a maximum bi-weekly salary of $2,186.12 is an annual cost of $56,839.12 and a Utility Manager with a maximum bi-weekly salary of $3,261.96 is an annual cost of $84,910.96.  Collectively, three additional Customer Support Specialists and a Utility Manager would cost the City a maximum of $255,428.32 in base salaries.