JOHN COFFELTEditor

City brush disposal costs to increase

The City of Manchester will soon see a $22.50 increase in its cost to dispose of collected brush and tree limbs starting in September.

While the cost per load of brush currently costs the city $52.50, that will increase to $75.

The city currently allocates $50,000 for brush disposal, and currently there are no plans to amend that amount.

Each city resident is charged a $5 waste recycling fee on the water bill. That amount is not set to change for the time being, but at some point it could be.

The fee is waived by the city for those on property tax relief.

George Gannon, Street Department Director, said during the Aug. 11 Street and Streetlight Committee meeting that the fee might have to become a talking point in the future.

“We don’t have to do it right now, but there is going to have to be some discussion eventually about it,” he said.

Committee members voiced concerns about the possibility of raising the fee so soon after the increases to the Manchester city water rate, approved earlier this month.

Gannon said taking the collected brush to Johnson’s Mulch facility, which is now operated by Evan’s Sawmill, is the currently the city’s only option.

Burning the brush is prohibited by environmental restrictions.

John has been with the Manchester Times since May 2011. John has won Tennessee Press Association awards for Best News Photo and placed in numerous other categories. John is a 1994 graduate of Tullahoma High School, a graduate of Motlow State Community College and earned a Bachelor of Arts in English from Middle Tennessee State University. He lives in Tullahoma, enjoys painting, dancing and exploring the outdoors.