Niagara Falls Council Extends Refuse and Recycling Fee for 2026

The Niagara Falls City Council voted Wednesday night to continue the city’s garbage and recycling user fee at its current rate for the 2026 budget year. The approval came after a brief public hearing that lasted less than a minute. No residents stepped forward to comment either for or against the measure.

The annual renewal is required by a City Charter amendment adopted when the fee was first introduced in the 2019 budget. At that time, council members opted to hire a private contractor to handle refuse and recycling, phasing out collection by the Department of Public Works. Since then, costs under the private contract have climbed steadily while the fee has remained largely unchanged.

As required by the charter, Acting City Controller Maria Brown submitted estimates for both program expenses and projected revenue. Brown recommended leaving the fee unchanged at $181 per year for residential customers and $225 per year for commercial accounts. She projected revenue of $3,985,452 in both 2025 and 2026, assuming near-full payment compliance. Historically, collections have landed in the mid- to high-90 percent range.

Expenses, however, continue to outpace revenue. Brown’s figures show that the city’s contract with Casella Waste Management will cost $4,823,328 in 2026. That leaves a shortfall of $837,876, which Mayor Robert Restaino’s administration has said will again be covered through an allocation from the city’s general fund.

At current levels, the user fee covers just 82.6% of program costs. Eliminating the gap entirely would require a 17% fee hike, raising the yearly charge to $212. The council, however, is constrained by law to a maximum 3.5% annual increase.

When the fee was first debated, then-Mayor Paul Dyster had proposed a $218 charge. The council ultimately reduced the rate to $181 where it has remained unchanged.

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Niagara Falls Council Extends Refuse and Recycling Fee for 2026