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ECUA Approves Sanitation Rate Increase
August 27, 2020
The Emerald Coast Utilities Authority has approved a sanitation rate increase.
The 2% increase was approved by the ECUA board 4-0, with District 5 member Larry Walker not yet in the Zoom meeting. The increase applies to all ECUA sanitation services from residential to commercial dumpsters.
For a single family residential customer with one 90 gallon or smaller container, the 2% increase will increase their rate by 38 cents from $24.16 to $24.54.
The rate increase goes into effect October 1. It applies to the collection portion of each bill charged by ECUA, but a disposal fee that’s part of the bill remains constant.
Comments
40 Responses to “ECUA Approves Sanitation Rate Increase”
Hopefully now they will be able to pick up yard waste more frequently. Have had to call them the last 3 months!! First pile sat there for almost 2 months!!! The current pile is going on 3 weeks! And it’s not just me, it’s all the residents down our road.
Yeh the recycle trash is sometimes picked up after 5:00PM but at least it is picked up. Regular garbage is picked up before 1100AM in the morning. I have no complains although the customer service could use improvement. I ain’t quibbling about 38 cent raise as I paid almost 78.00 a month in Texas before moving here
Okay this is called the cost of living, as we all know bills tend to go up over time for various reasons..Lets consider a few Cities in our vicinity. (Panama City) Basic $26.43 which I might add was just raised to. (Gulf Breeze) Basic $24.43. Now what you may find interesting those 2 cities charge a lot extra for curb side pick-up and only 1 includes recycling in there basic plan, while our very own ECUA includes all of these services in the Basic package. My closing point is garbage pickup can be as little as 16 and change in Brewton (don’t expect much for that price) or upwards of 66 bucks in southern Florida. So folks I don’t mind the occasional rate increase especially during a pandemic when good help is hard to find. Be grateful we have a sanitation service that’s pretty good and charges a reasonable amount for us rural folks.
So many negative comments… I have to say that I am pleased with the service ECUA provides. It is very rare that l have an issue with trash not being picked up, but when it has happened, and is promptly reported, ECUA sees to it that it is picked up very quickly. As to cost, l wish it were lower, but the convenience of having the trash picked up far outweighs the hassle of taking it to the dump myself.
Maybe with the 38cent increase they will be able to pickup the trash on the designated day. If they don’t and you call in to let them know that it was not picked up they will be able to pay there supervisor enough that he or she would call you like they said they would. On one week they pick up one side of the street the next week they only pick up the other side of the street. I bet if you knew who boo hoo was he or she works in management.
How many complaining just spent 50 cents’ worth of electricity charging up the device they just used to gripe about 28 cents’ worth of upcharge? My neighborhood in Cottage Hill has typically reliable pick-up on scheduled days and little complaints unless a large bulk item is left behind, and that’s usually because the bulk pickup vehicle is full and returns the next day.
If we can fill an ECUA garbage container a week the we are purchasing cans, boxes, bottles and cartons that can easily go i to the recycle bin instead of trash. Yes, there are issues with continual rate increases, mismanagement in the past, and occasional customer service issues, but crying foul over $o.28 per month is a bit much unless the rate increases become monthly, continuously, or in much greater amounts.
For folks on limited income and seniors/disabled customers, perhaps ECUA needs to offer a flat ‘lifeline’ type rate like other utilities across the state. For the rest of us, we can probably find that .28 very easily.
ECUA has issues, and we have an election coming and can only hope our voices are heard at the ballot box. In this case, I do wish citizens had an option to vote for or against any increases other than the first increase of a calendar year and against any increase above 5-9%. We already receive generous property tax relief, and enjoy living here enough that 28 pennies aren’t going to spoil it.
@ boo hoo
YOU CAN’T DO THAT, YOU HAVE TO USE THEIR SERVICE
Hey BOOHOO that would be great to take your own trash to the dump but they the ECUA has made it MANDATORY to have their service and there is no other companies around anymore to give them any completion. so if you decide to take your own trash to the dump you will still have a sanitation bill so if you want to pay twice then go ahead. we need to have more sanitation companies around but the lords at ECUA BOARD will not let them. so call it like it is ECUA IS A MONOPOLY and need to be shut down
I wish all I had to worry about was .50 cent and my garbage sitting by the road a few extra hours. LOL
Wow, reading some of these comments, you’d think .38.. “.48″ is going to make some homeless. I’ve been getting my garbage picked up for almost 2 decades, in a very rural area. One time in all that time I had to contact the head of ECUA because my garbage was missed twice. Within an hour it was resolved, the reason it was missed, the new driver was learning his route pick ups. so, fair enough. I’m sorry you guys are losing the plot over a few cents and have sanitation issues.
ECUA, no issues here you guys are doing fine by me.
Sounds like a bunch of kindergarten cry babies. If you don’t like the price or the service then buy yourselves a trailer and start hauling your on garbage to the dump. Then let’s see how many of you cry then…..
It got so bad in our community and we complained so much that now the driver has to stop and call in after dumping the cans on our road. There not competent enough to go from can to can. The new board member in 5 is gonna have to make the establishment very uncomfortable and we may see a little result.
How hard is it to drive around in a truck all day? These guys used to have to WORK, now they ride…..and push buttons…
Now wait a minute…>We spent 13 MILLION….13 MILLION on a recycle center that Vicki bragged about how it would bring our rates DOWN….WHERE IS OUR MONEY? WHERE IS OUR ROI? That right the first mgr hired stole $400,000 worth of OUR METAL…..We hired an outside company to run OUR EQUIPMENT and now we have ANOTHER RATE INCREASE. We need a full audit of the sanatation side of things. They run WAAAAAy to much overtime from people NOT DOING THEIR DAMN JOB and we have to pay a SECOND TIME for someone to come out. WE NEED AN AUDIT AND ACCOUNTABILITY!!!!
This is absolutely ridiculous. My trash gets missed all the time and so does my yard debris. I even read where they’re going to start picking up once a week versus twice. I can’t believe the prices are going to go up again but yet your service is getting worse.
Four of the five board members voted for the increase. Did they get a raise? They’re salary is paid by ECUA. Think about that.
Rates up Service down shouldnt it be the other way around?
They are going to increase rates, yet they don’t pick up when they are supposed to.
I’ve had a series of problems with ECUA’s services on my street this year. I had a conversation recently with Vicki Campbell and she told me about an idea that she is proud of and excited about of a button, presumidly on the ECUA website, that you can press to inform the ECUA that your garbage didn’t get picked up. I said, “really? Instead of hiring quality people who will show up and get the job done you are planning to build a system around the idea that not having your garbage picked up is a normal thing? That’s brilliant.”
What I have done to make things easier on myself and ECUA is I got rid of my recycle can and went to the biggest size regular trash can they have for household garbage. Now I only have to worry about managing one can and I only have to worry about one can not getting picked.
The recycle can is a nice idea but I was told that ECUA doesn’t charge for that recycle service so when that can goes without being picked as a customer and a consumer of ECUA’s service, that I don’t matter and it doesn’t matter to ECUA how my service is in regard to the recycle can. In my opinion, having one can is simpler for me and less complicated for the challenges faced by ECUA who is planning on not picking up all your garbage every week.
I’ve noticed that sometimes my containers are still sitting curbside full at 5pm, and there have been times when my garbage hasn’t been picked up at all on my scheduled day. My other concern is the huge amount of trash on olive road east of 9th avenue and the north end of 9th Avenue. I’m sure there are many areas that need to be cleaned up.. Where is the county spending our tax dollars? The grass isn’t well maintained, its not edged and grows over the sidewalk. There’s broken glass, soda bottles, trash, wood siding, clothing items, empty cigarette packs, not to mention dead trees that the county planted. Its outrageous that who ever is in charge of spending our tax dollars needs to be held accountable by the hard working tax paying citizens of escambia County. By the way, my comments are not inappropriate and I support and endorse this message.
“Not sure if a board member wrote the article, but they might well have, showing how some can rise to their highest level of incompetence! I did not have modern math, the old math, but using what I learned in elementary school. Two percent of $24.16 comes out to be 48 cents!”
Not sure if you are a board member, but looks like your reading comprehension rises to the highest level of incompetence (but at least you tried at math).
Read the last paragraph again S L O W L Y
TO: A Alex
I’m aware of that as I read the article but thanks. However, I was mentioning the continued OVERALL increase we’ve seen with ECUA in general prior to this rate increase for garbage. No change in our household or habits, yet the whole bill just continues to rise at a ridiculous rate
I’m a former employee. I had right at 32 years if service. ECUA has always been top heavy with upper management including overpaid engineers. I think one of the major problems with this establishment is management and a few board members. I have enormous knowledge what can be done to better the ratepayers of this mismanaged operation….
They must need the extra cash to pay the attorney to keep another grand jury report buried and not in the sunshine. Thank you to the misinformed voters who helped re-elect the incumbants.
Pathetic service from A-Z.
Yet, a raise, a reward for underachieving.
@jason you’re so right about them not picking up ive called them 4xs because they’ve missed me and there excuse is well were running behind so I said well dont expect me to pay then deduct it from my bill and the lady said oh no we can’t do that so I told her to send someone out then lol not my problem the’re running behind….and I will keep calling till they do
Unreal! ecua is horrible. Atleast twice a month they only empty half my trash cans. I constantly have to call them. Atleast every few weeks they will skip my street completely. Call and complain and was actually told by a supervisor that they will get lazy and skip some small streets. Its sad that I can’t go with any one else. If you go out to eat and they only give u half your food do you still pay? I could go on and on. WORST company I have ever seen.
Gas and Electrical rare increase soon to follow….I”m guessing.
Now that the increase has been approved. Give the people what they need. CUSTOMER SERVICE
There you go. Keep voting these same clowns in.
Every single elected official running should have been voted out, like taking the trash out.
The ecua people and your district county commissioners…
Keep voting these people in, do you really expect any change?
I agree with Oversight, they waited for the election to be over.
NO NEW EMPROVEMENTS. Wish i could get sewage and get rid of septic tank
TO “FED UP,”
THIS RATE IS FOR GARBAGE,NOT WATER
Well! I really don’t have a problem with the increase Now that Larry Walker was final outstayed out hoping many things will change in our neighborhood here in (FIDDLERS WALK) subdivision like this year 2020 garbage not getting picked up sometimes and recycle getting picked up the flowering day on Wednesday here lately and old trucks leaking hydraulic fluid up and down the street plus sanitation leaking out onto the street on occasion
Awwww…. someone needs a new F450 to drive home each night…. How convenient
Meanwhile, Escambia County rate payers (who by the way elect ECUA board members) are still subsidizing the cheaper rates, and twice a week pick up that is being provided in Santa Rosa County. ECUA underbid, and put several private carriers out of business in Santa Rosa, and Escambia residents still are paying the price for this fiasco. Thanks ECUA board members.
Not sure if a board member wrote the article, but they might well have, showing how some can rise to their highest level of incompetence! I did not have modern math, the old math, but using what I learned in elementary school. Two percent of $24.16 comes out to be 48 cents!
Called it. When the election is over, a rate increase will be approved.
Hey boss I went ahead and approved a 2% pay increase for myself. Anyone else like a raise? Might as well approve a few extra weeks vacation for yourself while you’re at it
Prior to 2019, our ECUA total bill has always stayed below $70 with 3 adults living in the home. No pool, no car washing and we seldom water the yard. In 2018, we stayed below $70. In 2019 – the bill ranged from $71 – $104. Now in 2020 with no changes in the household, no overnight guests, etc. so basically nothing has changed, $86 – $122. We’re so careful during the averaging months and yet, we continue to climb. With the automated reader, it’s even more difficult for seniors to check to see if meter is turning when all water is off.
Did the landfill raise the rates they are charging ECUA? If not, why should the landfill portion ($5.06) be subject to the 2% increase. This increase on top of the “sanitation capital improvement fees”…. jeez ECUA has gone from digging deep into customer pockets, to taking the change from the center console of the car and checking the couch cushions to see what may have fallen out of my pocket.
I wouldnt complain if the service had gotten better in the past year. But in my subdivision, the service is horrible. It seems like once a week at least one of the four collection truck skips the neighborhood. So many of the drivers are so busy yakking on their phones they dont pay attention to the work they are doing and its one reason why trash is dumped into the street or cans are knocked over after being emptied. And god forbid its raining as those drivers wont make any effort to pickup any of the trash they spill.