Gatesville Council Approves 18-Cent Monthly Waste Fee Increase Effective Feb. 1

Gatesville City Council approved the third and final reading of a solid-waste fee amendment at its Jan. 27 meeting that raises residential cart service by 18 cents per month, moving the monthly charge from $22.05 to $22.23. The ordinance takes effect Feb. 1, a small but permanent adjustment to monthly household bills.

Local reporting posted Jan. 30–31 and a Gatesville Messenger item dated Jan. 31 corroborate that the council acted on the final reading Jan. 27. Council materials and reporting describe the increase as driven by contractual language in the city’s agreement with Waste Management rather than an ad hoc council decision.

City Manager Parry’s statements from earlier council records explain the contractual mechanism that frames the 2026 action. In 2016 Parry said, “Waste Management approached City staff and requested a fee increase for solid waste collection which is in accordance with the City’s contract.” The 2016 minutes also record that “Waste Management is authorized by the City’s agreement to request a fee increase based upon the urban Consumer Price Index of United States Cities Average,” and that “the contract never expires unless both parties agree to any requested changes.” Those provisions provide the most explicit explanation available in the public record for vendor-initiated rate adjustments.

Historical council documents further reflect prior rate discussions. At the Oct. 11, 2016 meeting Parry noted “There has not been an increase in trash rates in five years” and recorded a Waste Management request for a $0.36 increase at that time, a proposal tied to Ordinance Number 2016-06 and adopted for first reading under Resolution Number 2016-79 after a motion by Viss seconded by Doyle. The 2016 minutes list the earlier proposed fee as $11.89; the public record provided with this report does not explain how that 2016 figure relates to the current $22.05 baseline.

Contractor-side cost pressures also appear in regional solid-waste planning materials. A Clean Earth contract addendum dated March 21, 2022, and CTCOG Solid Waste Advisory Committee materials note rising supply costs and “global supply chain issues that have driven prices up.” Clean Earth listed sample supply rates that included a 5g recon poly pail at $19 each, a new 5g poly pail at $25 each, a 55g recon poly drum at $58 each, a new 55g poly drum at $70 each, and a 55g recon metal drum at $60 each. CTCOG chart text captured in source material reads in raw form: “9% Oil/antifreeze, 80, 11% Batteries, 69, 10% Pesticides, 47, 7% Fluorescent bulbs, 23, 3% Tires, 157, 22% Appliance , 34, 5% Other, 53.”

The 18-cent increase will add a modest amount to monthly household bills but reflects a broader pattern in which vendor contract clauses and external supply-cost pressures affect municipal rates. Several source documents are truncated or behind a paywall; the public record supplied here does not show the full Jan. 27 ordinance text, the vote tally for the final reading, or an explicit 2026 letter from Waste Management calculating the $0.18 figure. Residents who want the definitive ordinance language or the vendor request letter can request the Jan. 27 meeting minutes and the approved ordinance from the City Secretary or ask city staff for the Waste Management contract documentation. For follow-up reporting, the Gatesville Messenger lists contact details as 116 S. 6th St, Gatesville, TX 76528; phone 1-254-865-5212; email webmaster@gatesvillemessenger.com.