Residents Could See Increase in Trash Collection Cost

One man doesn't think it's right that Gwinnett County can collect his garbage fees by adding the charge to his tax bill - and he's taken the matter to the courts to decide.

The Supreme Court recently heard oral arguments by attorneys for Robert Mesteller, a Snellville resident who is taking on Gwinnett County about its way of collecting payment on sanitation services. The issue is that the money is collected on tax bills, something Mesteller claims is illegal and unconstitutional.

The outcome of Mesteller’s appeal won’t be heard for several weeks. However, even if it fails, state Rep. Brett Harrell, whose district includes Snellville and parts of Loganville and Grayson, is also taking on the issue. He is re-introducing legislation in January to prevent municipalities from using tax bills to collect anything other than taxes. Harrell said his reason for re-introducing House Bill 291 is not opposition to any particular program, just with the billing mechanism.

How do you feel about the way Gwinnett collects its trash fees? Do you think the system needs changing?

Gwinnett County officials, however, say that if either Mesteller’s lawsuit or Harrell’s legislation is successful, the outcome might not be so good for county taxpayers. Joe Sorenson, communications director for Gwinnett County, warns that if the county were unable to bill for solid waste and recovery services via the property tax billing system, it would have to create a new billing system or significantly modify an existing one.

For more on this article, visit Loganville-Grayson Patch.

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