Residents who paid their garbage bills in full by October 31, but received notice of non-payment will have late fees waived or credited

SAINT PAUL (December 19, 2018) –  This afternoon, the Saint Paul City Council approved a minor adjustment to the billing schedule for the new Citywide Garbage Service, which will provide a resolution for some residents who paid their bill in full, but received notices of non-payment and/or late fees in October.  The new schedule should also clarify the billing cycle to avoid timing issues in the future.

“We have been working closely together with the St. Paul Haulers to address – and find solutions – to any operational issues that may have arisen in the first few weeks of the new Citywide Garbage Service,” said Kathy Lantry, Director of Public Works. “This is a huge systemic change for everyone – the city, the haulers, and our residents. We are committed, along with the haulers, to make this a success for all 74,000 households participating in the program.”

Notice of Non-Payment

The City and the St. Paul Haulers, LLC, the consortium of trash collectors serving residents in Saint Paul, have been working together to resolve issues with the initial billing process that resulted in notices of non-payment which were sent to some residents at the end of October. The agreement has the following changes:

  • In each case where an individual hauler received full payment for trash collection from a residence before October 31, the hauler will remove any late charge for the month of October 2018 from the account balance for that residence. Each affected resident will receive a letter from their hauler confirming this change.
  • If a resident paid their bill in full, got the notice of nonpayment, and paid the late fee, they will receive a credit on their next billing invoice.
  • If a hauler received full or partial payment for trash collection after October 31, or not at all, the late charge for October will remain on the account balance.
  • The City and each hauler will jointly review complaints received to ensure compliance with this procedure.
  • Residents must still pay their garbage bill to avoid the additional late fees.  If the bill is not paid in full by the end of the quarter, the city will place the outstanding garbage service and late fees on the property owner’s Ramsey County property taxes at the end of the year.

Adjustment of Billing Timing

The City and St. Paul Haulers, LLC Consortium worked collaboratively to reach an agreement shifting the timing of billing invoices and when late fees will be applied.

Residents will continue to receive quarterly statements (every three months); however the invoices will now be mailed the 5th day of the first month of quarterly service, not the original timing of the 20th day of the month prior. 

In 2019, residents should see bills at their homes January, April, July, and October.  The new bills will be due the 25th of the billing month. 

For questions about the new citywide garbage service, residents can visit stpaul.gov/garbage or call the city’s garbage information phone line at 651-266-6101.

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Media Contact:
Lisa Hiebert, APR
Saint Paul Public Works
651-266-6129
Lisa.Hiebert@ci.stpaul.mn.us

Last Edited: December 19, 2018