PHOENIX — On Tuesday, Phoenix City Councilman Sal DiCiccio opposed the “terrible garbage rate increase” so strongly that he appeared telephonically after undergoing “significant spinal cord surgery” to vote against it. In a 7-2 vote, the Council increased the solid waste residential rate by 24 percent, which is to be phased in over the next two years.
The Council’s vote maintained the city’s current recycling and composting services by increasing the residential rate to $33.20.
Councilmen Jim Waring joined DiCiccio in rejecting the massive increase.
DiCiccio explained his opposition in a Facebook post: “… while I’ve been clear about my position on this issue, it’s equally clear the politicians at City Hall are dead set on raising your rates, even though our office has presented alternatives that would allow Phoenix to keep recycling, keep all our current services, and keep your rates the same – just by improving efficiencies in our Solid Waste operations. All of these suggestions came from my appointee to the Solid Waste Rate committee – a former Waste Management VP with extensive experience in the waste management business. If we followed his advice – run our trucks more miles, run them longer hours, and more days per week – among other similar, simple suggestions we could do everything the politicians are claiming they want to do, without costing you a dime. But instead the City of Phoenix is running full speed ahead with their plan to completely ignore efficiency in favor of higher taxes. Apparently, improving our operations would have been too much work when all the politicians have to do instead is once again dig into your wallet.”