Will Strongsville Start Charging for Trash Pickup?

Mayor Tom Perciak raised the idea of charging residents for rubbish collection, but said Strongsville has not reached the point where it will start billing -- yet.

The mayor, speaking at a hearing on Strongsville's 2013 budget, called the $2.3 million trash fund "a huge amount of money."

"I can see why most municipalities around us are looking at this in a whole new light and started passing along the cost to residents," Perciak said.

Communities including Brook Park, Berea and Parma Heights now charge for curbside refuse pickup, he said.

"We've stayed away from that and we plan on staying away from that if we continue to rev the engines of economic growth," Perciak said.

Income tax collection is up 4.6 percent this year over 2011, according to Finance Director Joseph Dubovec. 

Strongsville, in the middle of five-year contract with Republic Waste, will not see its trash hauling costs increase next year.

But Perciak said if the city's business growth stagnates, charging for trash collection is something Strongsville will have to consider.

"This is a hot potato," he said. "It's a red flashing item we've got to keep our eyes on."