PF approved new fees for garbage pick-up

Pigeon Forge elected officials approved a budget for the 2006-07 fiscal year at their meeting Monday night, including a new fee for both residential and commercial garbage pick-up. “We’ve talked for two years about some kind of minimal fee for businesses,” said city Mayor Ralph Chance. Pigeon Forge is the only entity in the county that does charge for pick-up, which has helped to spur some of the abuse, officials say: “It’s no secret that people are dumping their garbage here because they know we don’t charge a pick-up fee,” said Chance. “The problem is getting larger and larger each year,” said Chance, “and what it’s going to come down to is it’s going to be such a burden that we’re not going to be able to afford to continue to pick this garbage up for free.” The city is also one of the biggest producers of trash, further increasing costs, as the city is charged on a per tonnage basis. “And the tonnage is greater here in Pigeon Forge and in the county,” City Manager Earlene Teaster said. “So we really do bear the brunt of the burden over there.” In a series of budget workshops, city commissioners debated the issue, expressing a desire to curb the abuse of the system, while holding reservations about a fee for the service. Commissioners were apprehensive about taxing businesses for another’s wrongdoing. “You hate to penalize the people that are innocent and that’s what you’re doing,” said commissioner Howard Reagan at a June 16 workshop. “There’s going to be two ways we could do it: we’re going to have to put a charge on it, or go in and put an increase on taxes somewhere to take care of it,” Chance said at the same workshop. “Putting this on the taxpayer is not really fair because some people create more garbage than others,” said Reagan.