In July, 2023 the Town of Oak Island added the new “Solid Waste” yard debris collection fee of $3.50 per month, to the utility billing of eligible residential customers.
The Utility Billing staff has received several questions regarding this new fee, and worked to provided the information below, to explain the fee, its purpose, and history.
For visual reference, a billing example(JPG, 78KB) has also been provided. Note: this notice only applies to those who are eligible to receive yard debris collection, and billed the same fee as highlighted in the example graphic below.
“What is this charge, and what does it fund?”
The new $3.50 fee labeled as “Solid Waste” is for yard debris collection and is applied to billing for residential customers who have access to yard debris collection service from the Town. This fee was implemented as part of the approved Fiscal Year 2023-24 Budget to help offset increased costs from the contracted solid waste & recycling services provider, GFL Environmental, Inc.
The Yard Debris Collection Schedule can be viewed at any time on the dedicated page of the Town Website at www.OakIslandNC.gov/YardDebris.
“Why does the billing say ‘Solid Waste’ when there is already a ‘Solid Waste’ charge?”
For now this fee being labeled as an additional “Solid Waste” charge on paper billing due to limitations in the Tyler Technologies accounting software previously used by the Town.
In September, however, the Town will transition to a new accounting software, Edmunds GovTech, which should provide for more accurately detailed labeling.
“Where did this fee originate?”
The option to include a $3.50 fee to help offset increasing costs for solid waste & recycling services was first publicly discussed during the April 26, 2023 Budget Workshop. During the Budget Workshop, the Town Manager noted that GFL Environmental had again raised rates. The goal is to have the Solid Waste Enterprise fund be self-sufficient and the fees collected pay for the services provided. The Town has never charged a fee for yard debris operations. The General Fund (Taxes) had been subsidizing the Solid Waste Fund for years. This is the first year for the new fee and it will be evaluated during the FY 24-25 Budget cycle. Council and Staffs goal is to have all enterprise funds (services) pay for themselves and not rely on tax dollars, which in turn could mean a tax reduction to our citizens in the future.
The fee was again discussed during the April 28, 2023 Budget Workshop, where the Town Manger noted the current proposed budget included a new fee of $3.50 per month for yard debris collection but maintained no increases for water or sewer rates.
The fee was addressed and mentioned during a presentation of the Recommended Fiscal Year 2023-24 Budget, which was approved by the Town Council during the May 25, 2023 Budget Public Hearing.
“I don’t use yard debris cleanup, so why should I be charged this fee?”
There are several public services provided by the Town that, while they may not be used an individual, deliver a universal benefit to all Town Residents & Visitors.
The service is available to all properties where the fee is billed, and is utilized to help keep entire streets and neighborhoods clean and free of the hazards and nuisance pest problems created by roadside debris.
Even if a homeowner does not directly utilize the yard debris collection, their property still benefits from the service provided to the surrounding area.
Additional Information
As a reminder, the current Fee Schedule(PDF, 407KB) and information related to utility billing, can be found on the Finance Department page of the Town Website.
For assistance with any of the information provided in this notice, or to learn more about the fees and charges included in the monthly utility billing, simply use the Customer Service Contact Form.