City of Walters Ordinance No. 105
An Ordinance of the City of Walters, Oklahoma, Amending the City’s Schedule of Sanitation Rates; Providing for an Increase of One Dollar and Twenty-Five Cents ($1.25) Per Refuse Container Per Month; Providing for the Purpose of the Rate Adjustment; Providing for Severability; Providing for Repealer; and Declaring an Emergency.
The City Council of the City of Walters contracts with Waste Connections of Oklahoma for the collection and disposal of municipal solid waste. Waste Connections has notified the City of a 3.78% increase in disposal costs resulting from increased landfill disposal fees.
The City Council finds that the increased disposal costs are expected to increase the City’s sanitation expenses by approximately One Thousand One Hundred Thirty-Nine Dollars ($1,139.00) per month. To maintain the financial stability of the sanitation utility and ensure that sanitation operations remain self-supporting without requiring subsidies from other municipal funds, an adjustment to the City’s sanitation rates is necessary.
Section 2. Sanitation Rate Adjustment
Effective September 1, 2026, the effective date of this Ordinance, all residential and commercial sanitation customers shall be assessed an additional charge of:
One Dollar and Twenty-Five Cents ($1.25) per refuse container, per month.
This adjustment shall be added to the existing monthly sanitation rates established by the City and shall apply to each refuse container receiving municipal sanitation service.
Section 3. Findings
The City Council finds that:
- The proposed rate adjustment is necessary to offset increased landfill disposal costs imposed upon the City’s sanitation operations.
- The estimated additional revenue generated by this adjustment is approximately One Thousand Four Hundred Eighty Dollars ($1,480.00) per month, which will offset the projected increase in disposal expenses while providing a modest operating margin for future fluctuations in disposal costs and sanitation operations.
- Maintaining a financially sustainable sanitation utility is in the best interests of the citizens of the City of Walters.
Section 4. Administration
The City Manager, City Clerk, Walters Public Works Authority, and all appropriate City staff are hereby authorized and directed to implement the provisions of this Ordinance and to make all necessary billing adjustments to reflect the revised sanitation rates.
Section 5. Repealer
All ordinances or parts of ordinances in conflict herewith are hereby repealed only to the extent of such conflict.
Section 6. Severability
If any section, sentence, clause, phrase, or portion of this Ordinance is held invalid or unconstitutional by a court of competent jurisdiction, such decision shall not affect the validity of the remaining portions of this Ordinance.
Section 7. Effective Date; Emergency
It being immediately necessary for the preservation of the public peace and the health and safety of the residents of the City of Walters, Oklahoma, an emergency is hereby declared to exist and, by reason thereof, this Ordinance shall take effect immediately upon its passage and approval, and publication as provided by law.
Passed and approved by the City Council of the City of Walters, Oklahoma, this 6th day of August, 2026.
