Two wheelie bins displayed during the Aug. 4, 2025 meeting of the Sedalia City Council show the cost to the city to have each bin collected if filled to capacity. The sanitation department is among five city agencies that is requesting rate increases to cover rising costs. (Photo by Kyle Hill, KMMO News)

Heads for five different agencies in the City of Sedalia explained to the city council Monday, Aug. 4 why their offices should charge more for various services available to residents.

The department heads for the cemetery, community development, sanitation, and water and wastewater, as well as city clerk Jason Myers, each presented their figures in a series of public presentations at the beginning of Monday’s meeting, along with suggested changes to their fees. City administrator Matthew Wirt says the five have services funded by enterprise fees, which are suppose to provide enough funds to cover costs. Wirt says while costs have risen over the past ten years, many of the fees haven’t.

Among the rates proposed, the sanitation department is proposing an increase in their residential collection rate to $26 per month for residents that have two 95-gallon wheelie bins, with reduced rates available for seniors and those who have smaller, 65-gallon and 35-gallon bins. Residents in attendance expressed surprise that they had the option to use smaller bins. Wirt says the city already has the 65-gallon bin available, with plans to roll out the 35-gallon option once updated rates are approved.

The water and wastewater department is projecting a need to increase water rates by five percent and wastewater by 7.5 percent. Those rates will require a formal public hearing, which Wirt says is planned for the next Sedalia City Council meeting Aug. 18. The council is also expected to consider ordinances that will update the city’s fee structures.