Prattville sanitation committee to review rate study on May 6

Prattville residents could see their sanitation bill change if the city’s rate study points to higher costs for weekly trash pickup, fuel and disposal. The Sanitation Committee is set to meet Wednesday, May 6, 2026, at 2 p.m. at the Public Works Training Facility, 1825 Cooters Pond Road, with a sanitation rate study listed on the draft agenda.

The city posted the notice April 27. While the agenda does not say a fee change will be voted on next week, the study signals that Prattville is reviewing whether current sanitation charges still match the cost of service. That question goes straight to household budgets because sanitation is billed through the monthly water bill.

Prattville says its Clean City Professionals collect an average of 225 to 250 tons of waste each week, and each household receives a 95-gallon blue garbage bin for bagged household garbage. Household garbage is collected once per week, and bins must be at the curb by 7 a.m. on collection day. The city also charges $20 per month for sanitation service under Ordinance 2020-021, with that fee billed by the Prattville Water Works Board on the monthly water bill.

The city’s sanitation page shows the residential charge later rose from $20 to $21 per unit effective Oct. 1, 2021. It also lists an additional $10 monthly charge for any occupant placing two containers on the curb or street for pickup. Those details make the rate study especially important for families trying to understand whether the current fee structure still matches actual use, route demands and disposal costs.

The FY 2026 sanitation enterprise fund budget gives a clearer look at the pressure behind the review. Prattville budgeted total revenues of $3,769,100 for the fund, with 24 full-time sanitation employees, $165,000 for fuel and $725,000 for tipping fees. A previous FY 2023-2024 sanitation budget listed 26 full-time employees and described a training program that gives new hires a path to advance from service maintenance worker to equipment operator or heavy equipment operator.

The committee’s review comes as Prattville continues to manage a system that covers curbside collection, yard trash, recycling options and special charges for bulky waste and excess pickups. Residents who want to follow the discussion can watch the city’s agenda packets, which the City Clerk’s office posts online on Mondays by 5 p.m. during the week of a scheduled council meeting. The May 6 meeting is likely to show whether Prattville’s sanitation system is being studied for a modest adjustment or for a larger reset in how the city pays for service.