Some Fort Smith sanitation, landfill rates to rise in January

Fort Smith rates for some commercial use of the city’s landfill will rise in 2026, generating an estimated $3.753 million in new revenue for the city’s solid waste department. Board approval came after a home builder representative asked for a lower rate increase.

The Fort Smith Board of Directors on Tuesday (Nov. 18) approved rate changes, with none of them changing the $15.89 monthly rate for residential trash service that has been in place since January 2022.

Duane McDonald, director of the the city Solid Waste Services department, told the board that the proposed rate changes are with rates not adjusted since 2020, and market data supporting the changes comes from a recent study by Tustin, Calif.-based Sloan Vazquez McAfee, which was presented during a board study session in September.

The proposed rate plan also would annually index rates for landfill disposal and commercial and industrial services to the federal Consumer Price Index (CPI), which measures price changes in goods and services. New rates, based on the CPI, would go into effect each Jan. 1, and would rise no more than 5%.

“The attached rate option table shows that the proposed adjustments would generate an estimated $3,753,100 in additional revenue for solid waste services, and it is understood that a portion of this revenue may be used to supplement appropriate general fund operations,” McDonald noted in his memo.

Following are some of the proposed rate changes.
• The rate for commercial trash disposal would increase from $36 a ton to $50 a ton, plus applicable fees and sales tax, with a half-ton minimum.

• The asbestos disposal rate would increase from $100 a cubic yard to $120 a cubic yard, and waste requiring special handling would see a new rate of $60 per ton.

• The rate for waste brought in by a pick-up truck would rise from $20 per vehicle to $25.

• The plan would add a $15 charge to return to pick up residential trash or recycling that was not set out for collection on the scheduled day.

• The industrial roll-off container haul charge would rise from $160 to $200, and commercial waste cart fees would rise from $20.96 to $25.85.

Rocky Walker, with Cobblestone Homes Real Estate and a member of the Greater Fort Smith Association of Home Builders, said the new rate increase – roughly 40% for most home builders – will on average add $2,000 to the cost of a 2,000-square-foot home.

“I got news for you: The housing economy in Fort Smith, Arkansas, sucks,” Walker said.

He said home builders will find a way to adapt to the new price, but said the board should be mindful of the area housing market.

“My concern is for the affordability of housing,” Walker told the board. “Houses are already unaffordable, and we’re trying to work on that. … I’ve already got $17 a yard concrete increase for Jan. 1. I’ve got appliances going up Jan. 1. I’ve got faucets going up 10% Jan. 1.”

According to Walker, for each $1,000 increase in a home price, eight fewer people can afford a home. He did say he agreed with and understood the need to increase rates to cover costs for sanitation services, but urged the board to consider a 20% or 25% increase instead of a 40% increase.

Directors André Good, Lee Kemp, Neal Martin, Jarred Rego, and Kevin Settle voted for the rate changes, with Directors Christina Catsavis and George Catsavis abstaining,