The city of Warrenton will begin charging for trash service on nonowner occupied properties, a move designed to save the city around $46,000 annually, according to city officials.

However, an ordinance that was recently passed by aldermen won’t go into effect until Jan. 1, 2011, to give the city time to inform and educate property owners about the change.

The new solid waste ordinance is designed to assess the affected properties as commercial ventures.

Any owner occupying his or her residence desiring to receive trash service at no cost will be required to submit a proof of ownership to the city. In the event that an owner fails to do so, the residence will be considered nonowner occupied and will be billed for trash collection, the ordinance states.

The ordinance also regulates how long a trash container can sit curbside. The containers can be set out beginning at 6 a.m. on the day before the regularly scheduled pickup and may remain out until 6 p.m. on the following day.

Trash collection is performed weekly on Thursdays, while recyclable items are picked up on Fridays.

In addition, all multifamily dwellings will be required to use dumpsters, meaning owners must erect an enclosure to meet a regulation set by the board a year ago. The enclosure law, for all properties using a dumpster, is scheduled to go into effect Oct. 1.

Currently, the city provides free trash collection services for all residential properties. Only commercial properties are required to pay for trash service.

Between July 2009 and June 2010, the city spent $336,902 on trash service, which was an increase of $10,746 from the previous year. Of that amount, the city paid $46,800 for collections at multifamily apartment complexes. The remainder of the expense was for residential trash ($257,210) and recycling ($32,892) pickups.

The projected real estate and personal property tax revenue in the city’s general fund is $295,000. Based on that figure, city officials said the city began the fiscal year with more than a $40,000 deficit.

“I have a single-family dwelling that gets rented and the city picks up that cost,” Mayor Greg Costello said. “I also have three or four commercial buildings that either I or the tenants pick up the cost. What’s the difference? They are all businesses. It should be a business expense.”

The ordinance was met with opposition. At the July 20 meeting when it was approved, Ward 3 Alderman John Clark was the lone board member to vote against it. He felt that all residential properties should be entitled to free service since the city receives a share of the taxes they pay. He also was concerned about more work being created for city staff.

“The people are paying the sales tax,” he said. “I know it’s an added cost and maybe down the road we will have to supplement it with all the residents paying, but trying to separate (owner and nonowner occupied properties) I think will be a problem.”

Former Ward 1 Alderman Jerry Cullom, who lost a re-election bid in April, also spoke out against the ordinance at the meeting and said residents were “promised” free trash service when a sales tax was approved by voters in the early 1980s.

“My big concern is if we’re not providing them free trash, we’re going to find a lot of trash around town,” she said.

However, both Cullom and Costello agreed when a past board moved forward with using the sales tax revenue to pay for trash service that the discussion did not include multifamily properties.

“It’s not an issue about wanting to take something away,” Costello said. “It’s whether if it’s a reasonable business expense, in particular when you operate an apartment. For some people that is all they do for their living.”

While Ward 1 Alderman Dan Dieckmann acknowledged the free trash service is “a fantastic amenity,” he added that the money the city will save from reducing the city’s trash expense could be used elsewhere, such as for more parks or a recreation center for example.

“I’m just saying there might be a better way to use that money in the future,” Dieckmann said.

Rather than having the ordinance go into effect immediately, city attorney Chris Graville suggested the city delay the start so the billing process can be finalized among city staff. He doesn’t anticipate any troubles since the city already has the software and accounts could be cross referenced with existing utility records.

The trash fee will be included on the monthly water and sewer bill.