Bloomberg Brainstorm: Charge Religious Institutions for Garbage Pickup

Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s proposal to charge religious institutions and nonprofit organizations a fee for garbage pickup beginning in July 2012 drew stiff opposition at a City Council hearing Thursday.

Council Member Fernando Cabrera, a Bronx Democrat who is also a church pastor, denounced the proposal as an unfair burden. He estimated that the fee, if imposed, could cause 10% of religious institutions citywide to close, though he acknowledged the estimate was a ballpark figure. The details of the plan have yet to be released, preventing a scientific analysis.

Mr. Cabrera said donations to religious institutions citywide have decreased significantly in recent years, and any additional financial burden could lead to the collapse of those that are operating at the margins.

Sanitation Commissioner John Doherty testified Thursday that his department has proposed instituting a fee on all nonresidential entities that currently receive sanitation services free of charge.

The city estimates the fee would generate $17.2 million annually in new revenue. Mr. Doherty described the proposal as “very preliminary” and said the department has a “tremendous amount of work” to do before it returns to the council with a more formal proposal.