EMPORIA (KSNT) – Some Emporia residents can expect to see an extra charge on next month’s utility bills due to rising fuel costs.
City of Emporia officials announced in a press release on Sept. 28 that locals who receive city garbage collection services will see a surcharge of $1.36 to $3 added to their monthly utility bills in October. City staff said rising fuel costs nationally are also having an impact on the city’s services.
City personnel said the City of Emporia is not only paying higher prices to keep its trash collection trucks fueled, but that vendors are also charging the city fuel surcharges for waste transported outside of Emporia.
City commissioners initially approved a fuel surcharge ordinance in 2008. City staff said the ordinance allows the City of Emporia to respond to higher fuel costs, but the decision to use the surcharge belongs to the City Commission.
The surcharge applies only to garbage, refuse collection and solid waste disposal at the landfill, according to city staff. The surcharge is not being applied to any other city services.
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City personnel said the amount residents will be charged is based on the previous quarter’s average Midwest retail price for on-highway diesel fuel using information published by the U.S. Energy Information Administration. The ordinance allows for a surcharge of $0.34 to $0.60 per city pickup and $0.59 to $1.36 per 500 pounds at the landfill gatehouse.
You can learn more about the Emporia fuel surcharge ordinance by clicking here.
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