Jefferson residents will soon have to pay to help keep the yard waste site operational.

City Administrator Mike Palmer says the sanitation committee recommended a $1 monthly charge to be put on everyone’s water bill, so that the City can offset the cost to grind down materials left at the yard waste site at Daubendiek Park.

“It’s fairly pricey to do, anywhere from $15,000 to $20,000 per year. Now we had some reserves in sanitation that paid for that for several years, but it’s finally come to the point where we just want to break even with it. We’ve calculated out $1 per month on all residential water bills would generate enough funds to let us grind up the brush.”

Palmer adds that the City stopped burning yard waste several years ago because it created air quality issues and safety issues with tree trunks re-igniting.

The City Council approved the first reading for the ordinance at Tuesday’s meeting. The Council will need to approve two additional readings before the monthly fee takes effect.