Service director Bill Harvey presented proposed trash collection fees for 2010 at the city council meeting last week.

Residents under age 65 currently pay $242 a year and residents 65 and older pay $160 a year for trash collection. Under Harvey's proposal for next year, residents under age 60 would pay $264 a year and seniors 60 and older would pay $246 a year.

Harvey estimates trash collection will cost Bexley $1.1-million next year -- $1 million for its contract with Rumpke and another $100,000 for miscellaneous charges like trash receptacles and Main Street litter pickup.

Bexley is part of a trash consortium with other municipalities including Reynoldsburg, New Albany, Gahanna, Dublin and Westerville, and Mifflin, Plain and Washington townships. Rumpke is in its seventh year of providing services to Bexley.

Rumpke gives residents 60 and older an $18 discount. Bexley is currently offering its discount to residents 65 and older. Harvey wants to make the discount available to seniors 60 and older, matching Rumpke's guidelines.

Harvey said about 520 households took advantage of Bexley's discount this year. He estimates about 600 would take advantage if seniors 60 and older received the discount.

To receive the discount, residents must present a driver's license at City Hall, Harvey said.

He said he was concerned about the extra discount the city offers seniors. Rumpke offers seniors an $18 discount, but Bexley seniors receive an $82 break, he said.

Council member Rick Weber liked expanding the discount to those 60 and older, but was concerned about taking away the extra city discount because it was originally designed to encourage seniors to stay in the community.

The city should have been raising the trash-collection rate for senior citizens along with the rate for other residents over the last couple of years, said council member Mark Masser, who was concerned about making up the difference in rates at one time.

Harvey said council could phase in the change, but the city should only offer the discount provided by Rumpke.

Council member Jed Morison suggested seniors receive the extra discount if they are struggling financially.

Those seniors could stop by City Hall and request the extra discount, and the administration could determine who qualifies, council member Jeff McClelland.

Auditor Larry Heiser and city attorney Lou Chodosh thought it was a bad idea to make income-based exceptions. Chodosh said council would be opening the door for other groups to request the discount, such as handicapped residents or large families.

Council member Ben Kessler said it was a tough decision, but he favored a straight adjustment and only providing the Rumpke discount.

The extra discount currently offered by the city is absorbed by all residents, said council president Matt Lampke, who suggested phasing out the extra discount over five years because some senior citizens are on a fixed income.

Chodosh said he would bring revised legislation for the rate increase to the Nov. 11 city council meeting.