IN Brentwood-Baldwin-Whitehall Summer 2016 | Page 58

C ITBR
Y OEFNT
MC
WOOD
KE ES POR
BORTOU
NEGH
WSN E WS

cKeespor t
rentwood

Convenient
New
*COMBINED*
Sewage &
Refuse Bill
Coming This
July

In response to a 2015 policy
change by incumbent trash
contractor Republic Services, the
Borough of Brentwood is preparing
to internally generate refuse invoices
for its residential service customers.
This firm no long collects delinquent
balances that are in excess of 90
days past due; rather, these amounts
are currently directly satisfied by
the Borough at significant expense.
Brentwood recognizes that it is
inequitable to require residents who
promptly respond to their bills to
pick up the tab for those individuals
who have failed to make the required
payment. The Borough had previously
outlined its intention to rectify this
deficiency by issuing separate delinquency notices to complement
the quarterly statements provided by Republic Services. However,
upon further investigation of this proposal, it was noted that
this arrangement would both be confusing to our residents and
administratively cumbersome. As a result, Brentwood has chosen
to streamline the payment process for these critical services by
producing a bill that combines both sewage and refuse fees.
The issuance of a single monthly statement will allow residents
to save time and postage by writing a single check. The switch
from quarterly trash bills is additionally beneficial to customers
who are on a budget, as it divides refuse charges into smaller, more
manageable payments. The new system additionally eliminates

56 Brentwood-Baldwin-Whitehall

“free riders,” as the Borough will now automatically apply refuse
fees to any active residential sewage account.