[{"_1":2,"_110":-5,"_111":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,74,86,98],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":56,"_73":56},"mediaId",6083945,"mediaKeyId","2925497-8edf802f9f6f0f9e211d9f441f44fe63","parentId",2925497,"title","Solid Waste proposes rate and fee changes, including $35 bulky‑pickup fee; council approves notifications","audioSeconds",1404,"startMs",3980000,"endMs",5384000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2925497-8edf802f9f6f0f9e211d9f441f44fe63&start=3980&end=5384","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2925497-8edf802f9f6f0f9e211d9f441f44fe63/thumbnail_3980000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6083945/Raleigh/Wake-County/North-Carolina/Solid-Waste-proposes-rate-and-fee-changes-including-35-bulkypickup-fee-council-approves-notifications","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6083945-e39d3f6a0695c055e543208edea0e0c7/orig.mp4?Expires=1770450837&Signature=m2YCd1-qSRUk-Je9pz0WHLEBwhjUTOt90v1enyU-bugRIZAe65-TCU9C7on3WmBjTesTKfYJCAGzpOlgBTZ4wwlJM3-50xM17xj4vYWNDKeuKgqPEIK-BknW5r5GbfOZy2DPh-Mwhiub-OxenyRfaTehC90u31mLn42zxniDxL2NylAAvtXsSBPHSgHx6VnWHGko8Vl~RZ7fPbmPo~Mhhn4GR2NhK6JjcQc1Edm0MIgAFpmIrv~cHkkNiPctFXzQ0VMv-0J61El1DJM72Wwdx7dv6y6kDvQXemRRe8hXcEL~0j9UAQFYgzdqC-CPSUMKGJWA9kXH0oUCY2UJ8K-Ayw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","","date","2025-04-08T09:40:14Z","article","Solid Waste Services presented its FY26 budget and proposed fee schedule on Thursday, asking the City Council for permission to program billing changes and notify large customers; council approved the request.

Gregory Jenkins II, interim director of Solid Waste Services, said the department provides weekly garbage and biweekly recycling service to “over a 27,000 households” and averages about 60,000 collections per day. Jenkins highlighted accomplishments including a second recycling audit that collected roughly 89 tons of recyclables for analysis and a reduced vacancy rate in the department from about 24% in July 2024 to roughly 6% at present.

Jenkins proposed a monthly solid‑waste rate increase of $1.85 — a 7.7% rise consistent with the department’s five‑year plan — and several fee adjustments intended to move the operation fully to an enterprise model a year early. The presentation included a proposed new $35 per pickup bulky‑item fee (previously free once per 90 days) and an increase to the yard‑waste tip fee; staff said the change reflects regional landfill charges and seeks better cost recovery.

Jenkins said roughly 5,000 households request a bulky pickup annually and that about 40% of those requests are repeat customers. He also said the FY26 proposal would reduce the general‑fund subsidy to $500,000 and allow Solid Waste to begin FY26 as a full enterprise sooner than planned.

Councilors asked operational questions about service points, fleet and staffing. Jenkins and city operations staff said the department has added more service points over recent years without a proportional increase in fleet or staff and that staff are working to rebalance routes and optimize operations; city management said a staffing and equipment plan will be brought forward to address growth and vehicle replacement needs.

Council moved to allow Solid Waste to program billing changes and notify large customers of the proposed rates; the motion passed. Jenkins said that if the rates and fee changes are approved with the FY26 budget, the department would be balanced and would avoid a $4 million general‑fund need next year.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Raleigh City Council Budget Work Session - April 7, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","Solid Waste Services presented a FY26 budget that would move the service to a full enterprise and proposed a $1.85 monthly increase and a $35 bulky‑pickup fee; council approved staff requests to program billing changes and notify large customers.","taxTitle","Raleigh, Wake County, North Carolina","taxId",4736,"location","headline","shortSummary",{"_33":75,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":76,"_41":77,"_43":78,"_45":79,"_47":80,"_49":81,"_51":82,"_53":83,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":84,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":85,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":56,"_73":56},6083950,"Stormwater proposes first use of debt for CIP, seeks 57¢ monthly increase; council approves budget",1073,2893000,3966000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2925497-8edf802f9f6f0f9e211d9f441f44fe63&start=2893&end=3966","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2925497-8edf802f9f6f0f9e211d9f441f44fe63/thumbnail_2893000.jpg","/articles/6083950/Raleigh/Wake-County/North-Carolina/Stormwater-proposes-first-use-of-debt-for-CIP-seeks-57-monthly-increase-council-approves-budget","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6083950-e72706899957c60236b2551f295c2aab/orig.mp4?Expires=1770450837&Signature=N~rc6koSKn8j9p5BrI-xhGiJQwZuSd~RqjHZesObNK7yQJ-GxajUmvyU8kBb7Idsl8QEtrkDn~9xhxeX9Df7zgC4TY-ohG~uGs6dq-cyvPH3O-MOn97DxWLxZIq1oWnEu9Q~5uHpNoIYxaCuldhMI~B-PvCjctQdImjnyb3t0GNltHhK9n7iwszbJ8TRRS25D~kfPiLFXJWFWwega5S2OU2kC9fvjrihQmXYAKErNcS39RTxm9fw8K-agbscIBrQe4VSuvbiJJXHD2qb-X1HFmo2QPya2Otm7dRovehoLLhdaMpGkKGVep6aS0zlyK2Dk8hikxNZPmDxzWthaPZU2Q__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Stormwater Management staff told the City Council on Thursday that FY26 will be the first year the program uses debt service to accelerate capital improvements, and recommended a modest monthly fee increase for most homeowners to support the expanded capital program. Council voted to approve the recommended FY26 stormwater budget.

Wayne Miles, stormwater manager for Engineering Services, said the department has identified roughly $920 million in stormwater capital improvements across the city and recommended issuing debt to deliver projects more quickly. “Fiscal year 26 is going to be the year that stormwater uses debt service for the very first time to help fund our capital improvements project,” Miles said. Using debt, staff said, will allow a proposed FY26 CIP of more than $31 million compared with about $14 million in FY25.

To support the program the department proposed raising the single‑family equivalent rate by 57¢ per month, from $7.65 to $8.22. Miles said that increase would raise the program’s projected FY26 budget from about $39.2 million to $42.7 million and that the proposal includes a pay‑as‑you‑go allocation and a recommended $7 million fund‑balance restoration to improve creditworthiness for future bond issuance.

Miles described the proposed projects as already in study, planning or design phases so that construction can begin once debt proceeds are available. He also highlighted maintenance improvements and programs such as Rainwater Rewards, drainage assistance, watershed studies and a flood‑early warning system. The Stormwater Management Advisory Commission unanimously endorsed the FY26 proposal in an 8–0 vote.

Finance staff explained the fund‑balance restoration strategy. Lisonbee Bradshaw, finance, said the program currently has about 360 days of cash on hand and was advised to target 540 days prior to long‑term borrowing; the FY26 plan would allocate roughly $7 million to move partway toward that goal and use temporary bond anticipation notes ahead of a revenue bond issue.

Councilors asked about service levels, why the program moved toward debt financing now, and how the new fee compares with peer cities. Miles and finance staff said the change was timed so projects already in design can proceed to construction and that the proposed rate would keep Raleigh near the median of peer utilities. A council member moved to approve the recommended stormwater budget; the council voted in favor and the motion passed. Staff requested authorization to program billing system changes and notify the largest 250 customers; council granted that permission.

Action: Council approved the FY26 stormwater budget and authorized staff to program billing changes and notify large customers about the proposed fee.","Stormwater staff proposed using debt service for the first time to accelerate a $920 million capital program, recommended raising the single‑family equivalent fee from $7.65 to $8.22 (57¢), and council approved the recommended FY26 budget at the work session.",{"_33":87,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":88,"_41":89,"_43":90,"_45":91,"_47":92,"_49":93,"_51":94,"_53":95,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":96,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":97,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":56,"_73":56},6083958,"Raleigh Water proposes modest FY26 rate increases; council authorizes customer notification",1422,1492000,2914000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2925497-8edf802f9f6f0f9e211d9f441f44fe63&start=1492&end=2914","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2925497-8edf802f9f6f0f9e211d9f441f44fe63/thumbnail_1492000.jpg","/articles/6083958/Raleigh/Wake-County/North-Carolina/Raleigh-Water-proposes-modest-FY26-rate-increases-council-authorizes-customer-notification","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6083958-d53c423206736be430e1d97cc77304f2/orig.mp4?Expires=1770450837&Signature=Rv4js9~imQGkfeuKbUc3-9QeD8XE4X3buhDPjCOZ3qit~cNEz4WsV2qFzA-GDm5avClrRLIrvth6PZ2ZFqO5oq9OAmsoNWDRlRE56jeKScA92UvtyDjlTZmHs-X8m1KSl70wWZ~Wmyp-EotgTlHZpi8GNa3rycWdr2eh9xKlcJcslnvq1-WHXWDax1BoaEv0mqj7xgQkiNRdwtPjgsD~KW5RQxU6WWPB1O2nMC4Kp-~gYnVmGBvH32anyCqmb38ZXlNZIqUfbiHi7w9zZfH~poksAezTPfATz-jyWbGJN56UWAlq5pv7Ht9epjQhqKI9e6U1SlzO7cQ7bZIAAHy~5g__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Raleigh Water presented its proposed fiscal year 2026 budget on Thursday and asked the City Council for permission to begin programming billing changes and notify large customers about a planned rate increase; council approved that request.

Whit Wheeler, presenting the utility’s FY26 budget, said the Raleigh Water operating budget would be just over $372 million and the 10‑year capital improvement plan totals about $2.2 billion. Wheeler told council the recommended rate changes are intended to meet the utility’s spending and debt requirements while prioritizing cash over new debt in the near term.

Wheeler described the staff recommendation as modest per‑unit increases across consumption tiers and wastewater charges: “tier 1 consumption, we're looking at a increase, 20¢; for tier 2, 26¢; tier 3 and irrigation, 26¢; non‑residential, 15¢; and our wastewater base charge, 33¢,” he said. Under the proposal, the median single‑family customer using 4 CCF (hundred cubic feet) would see a combined water and sewer bill of about $55.36, a roughly 3.5% increase.

Wheeler outlined major capital projects that drive the CIP, including upgrades at the E.M. Johnson Water Treatment Plant (an expansion raising capacity from about 82 million gallons per day to 120 million gallons per day, with an estimated cost in the presentation of about $375 million) and transmission and treatment plant projects. He also said the city is studying future raw water sources, including the Little River Reservoir and possible Neuse River withdrawals; yield estimates for Little River were described in the presentation as between about 17 and 22 million gallons per day, which staff said could provide around 20 years of additional capacity.

Councilors asked about potential future sharp increases, customer assistance and conservation. Wheeler said the utility refers customers seeking assistance to Wake County Health and Human Services for means testing and that the city’s customer assistance fund helped nearly 2,700 customers last year with about $535,000. He also said the utility has prioritized retrofitting and using existing plant basins to reduce the capital cost pressure other utilities have experienced.

Councilors then considered a motion to allow Raleigh Water to “use a proposed rate increase to begin programming and testing our billing system and to notify our largest customers for their budgeting purposes.” A council member moved and another seconded; the council voted in the affirmative and the motion passed. Wheeler noted that final rate adoption will occur with approval of the FY26 budget.

Action: council authorized Raleigh Water to proceed with programming and customer notification of the proposed rates. Final approval of rates remains with the FY26 budget adoption.","Raleigh Water presented its FY26 operating and capital budgets, recommended incremental per‑unit rate increases and asked council permission to program billing changes and notify large customers; council approved the notification request.",{"_33":99,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":100,"_41":101,"_43":102,"_45":103,"_47":104,"_49":105,"_51":106,"_53":107,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":108,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":109,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":56,"_73":56},6083963,"Raleigh staff present FY26 agency grant recommendations totaling $4.37 million",814,646000,1460000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2925497-8edf802f9f6f0f9e211d9f441f44fe63&start=646&end=1460","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2925497-8edf802f9f6f0f9e211d9f441f44fe63/thumbnail_646000.jpg","/articles/6083963/Raleigh/Wake-County/North-Carolina/Raleigh-staff-present-FY26-agency-grant-recommendations-totaling-437-million","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6083963-9c06b2ba316d253403b5b61506132229/orig.mp4?Expires=1770450837&Signature=Bbx8ZnXtLYUSxACgHIIqbzj7-iH8ogSTaawNuF3HaC8s1Q6lvjYF2sxLFbjp6CydOz1sFIpGnJx5FH1oB-n5DYq2PAWdbg3~EuKbQe~216a0aKX3DM91j8RMyP1Z0LTrmcjW82QtrhjAZION-~GRGXxoIJCf7zZaHA~O0qelgoeydiSe5wVs-oBOq5aDKD7URcHXCqwimpoFRHWPMdZFz26UcFoNoU01ckDSxapGYYW-mbfZUKpGmJC7IC9uWmoimn0rlxFLBr8fGdxW6WrdAxjChh2kDIFOBm-gYy~B2SCwPPL1~Ft-h-ggqMaAQWYpCryETA02M6bPRBG6aSHVYw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","City of Raleigh staff and volunteer commissioners on Thursday presented recommended awards for the city’s FY26 agency grant programs that together total $4,370,000 in proposed general‑fund support for arts, human services and direct allocations.

Katie Conyers, grants program manager in Budget and Management Services, told the council the recommendations “total $4,370,000 for FY '26.” The recommendations cover three competitive grant areas — arts, community enhancement and human services — and do not include Community Enhancement Grants funded by the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG).

The arts presentation from the Raleigh Arts Commission recommended $1,860,000 to support 34 organizations after a review process led by four arts commissioners and 11 community panelists. Tony Gadsden, chair of the Raleigh Arts Partner Program Committee and vice chair of the Arts Commission, highlighted program results including arts‑education outreach and upcoming events, and asked council to approve the arts recommendations as presented.

The Human Relations Commission recommended $810,500 to competitive nonprofit applicants after reviewing 31 competitive proposals; Robert Kortz, secretary of the Human Relations Commission and co‑chair of its grants committee, said that amount was the commission’s award recommendation to council. Housing and Neighborhoods staff presented recommendations for the Community Enhancement Grant (CEG) program, which is funded with $200,000 in federal CDBG dollars; Nick Dula, compliance and planning manager, said staff recommended funding the four highest‑scoring proposals: Consumer Education Services, Step Up Ministries, The Green Chair Project and Oak City Cares.

Council members asked clarifying questions about program rules and scoring, eligibility limits and the relationship between these awards and the forthcoming city budget. Conyers reminded the council that per council policy “the maximum funding request for any agency is 25% of that agency’s prior year actual operating expenditures” and that agencies requesting $25,000 or more must submit audited financials.

No formal approval of the grants occurred at the work session. Council staff indicated the recommendations will be implemented through the FY26 budget process; a council member noted, “we don't have formal approval today… and then it'll be approved when the budget's approved.”

The presentations acknowledged a new arts applicant, Little Raleigh Radio, and named several arts programs supported by the grants. Council members did not propose changes at the work session; final awards and any adjustments will be part of the FY26 budget adoption process.

Details: arts — 35 applicants requesting about $2,300,000; 34 organizations recommended for $1,860,000. Human relations — 31 competitive applicants; $810,500 recommended to competitive applicants. Community enhancement — $200,000 CDBG; four projects recommended.","City staff and advisory commissioners presented recommended FY26 awards for arts, human services and community enhancement grants; council did not take a formal vote, and final awards will be approved with the FY26 city budget.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Solid Waste proposes rate and fee changes, including $35 bulky‑pickup fee; council approves notifications

Stormwater proposes first use of debt for CIP, seeks 57¢ monthly increase; council approves budget

Raleigh Water proposes modest FY26 rate increases; council authorizes customer notification

Raleigh staff present FY26 agency grant recommendations totaling $4.37 million