Members of the city council have been discussing the possibility of placing a 1-mill tax question to fund the recycling program on the March ballot. If voters approve the question at the ballot box, the city could then levy $1 for every $1,000 of assessed property value to fund the program.
Members of the council are expected to vote on placing the millage on the ballot at their meeting set for Dec. 16, during which the public will have the opportunity to comment on the issue.
Westland was one of the first communities to establish curbside recycling in 2009 but in February of this year Mayor William R. Wild sent a letter to residents explaining that the city could no longer afford the service due to a price jump from $18 per ton to $80 a ton at ReCommunity, the recycling center used by Westland. In the letter, he explained that all curbside trash would be hauled to the landfill in Van Buren Township at a cost of $28 per ton while officials sought a viable alternative for the service. Wild explained, too, that the price hike had also affected communities across the state, many of which were also seeking alternative solutions.
The current millage proposal being considered by members of the city council would allow the 1 mill to also be used for related waste services including trash pickup, yard waste disposal and composting, in addition to the curbside recycling services. The March ballot will include the Democratic presidential candidates and a renewal of the Detroit Institute of Arts millage. If the recycling millage were approved by voters, the new tax could appear on the summer tax bills which are printed in June and mailed in July, officials said.
The Dec. 16
