By THOMAS GRILLO
LYNN — It could cost more to toss your trash.
The city’s Ordinance and Rules Committee will consider a plan on Tuesday night that would charge property owners an annual trash disposal fee that could raise as much as $2 million annually.
Under the proposal, the fee would apply to any unit that is not owner-occupied. For example, owners of a single-family home who live in the dwelling would be exempt.
But landlords of two-, three-, four-, five- and six-family homes who live in the house would be charged for those units they do not live in. Out-of-town landlords would pay the most.
Owners of apartment buildings with more than six units are responsible for their own trash removal, so those commercial property owners would not be affected.
Mayor Judith Flanagan Kennedy declined to comment.
City Council President Darren Cyr said he favors the measure.
“The city is in such a financial mess that I do believe we need to do something,” he said. “Consider that 90 percent of the communities around us have trash fees, including Swampscott, Salem, Nahant and Saugus. The reason is the cost of getting rid of trash is expensive.”
Peter Caron, the city’s chief financial officer, who floated the idea to help fix a budget deficit, said the fee has not been determined. But he said the discussion has been in the $150 to $220 range.
“One of the provisions we are considering is Lynn residents who are landlords would pay a lower fee than out-of-town landlords,” he said.
For example, a two-family with the owner living on one floor would pay a discounted rate on the second unit. Out-of-town landlords would pay the full fee for both apartments.
The city picks up trash for 27,000 units. Of that number less than 10,000 units would pay the fee. There are about 12,000 single-family homes in Lynn.
Ward 1 City Councilor Wayne Lozzi, chairman of the Ordinance and Rules Committee, said while he is reluctant to approve raising another fee, he will support it.
“I would not support a citywide, all inclusive fee,” he said. “But a limited trash fee makes sense given the financial climate. It’s so bad that we have to entertain some kind of a fee.”
Multi-families are not as quick to recycle and those units generate heavy waste and the costs are higher, Lozzi said.
“Single-family owners seem to care more and do recycle more and that’s a good thing and that keeps costs down.”
The likely trash fee comes on the heels of a recent City Council vote to impose a .0075 percent tax on top of the state’s 6.25 percent sales tax on meals. The new levy would add 75 cents to a $100 dinner bill, about 19 cents to a $25 meal and raise $700,000 annually for the city.
Thomas Grillo can be reached at tgrillo@itemlive.com.