Increasing trash fee to save libraries

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) - The Springfield City Council voted to raise hotel and motel taxes on Tuesday. But instead of raising it to 6% as Mayor Domenic Sarno had proposed, the that tax, which will affect businesses and visitors, will go up to 5%.

Trash fee, however, will directly affect residents in Springfield, and at the same meeting, raising the fee by $15 passed the first step, and it's all to save local libraries.

Three Springfield libraries – Liberty Street, Pine Point and East Forest Park, closed at the end of June as part of Mayor Sarno's effort to cut spending.

But East Forest Park residents said, closing libraries does more harm than good.

Douglas Barnshaw of Springfield said, “We have to be clear what our priority is and one of them is education for all ages and our kids.”

“I used to get movies from there. It upsets me that they would just eliminate it,” East Forest Park resident Kathleen Murphy said.

Forest Park Library is a little over one mile from East Forest Park branch, but the Library Director told 22News, it's hard for elderly and disabled residents to walk that one mile, especially in the summer heat.

“They have to take bus transportation,” Library Director Molly Fogarty said. “One woman wrote a letter to us saying that for her to start taking buses it would cost her over 200, 300 dollars a year and she doesn't have that money.”

That's why Springfield City Councilor Tim Allen proposed increasing the trash fee by $15, instead of by $10 as originally planned, and the additional revenue would help re-open these libraries.

But some city councilors said at Tuesday's meeting, they'd like to see Mayor Sarno promise that the additional profit will indeed go to libraries, not other departments.

Increasing the trash fee needs two more rounds of approval. It will next go to the General Government committee some time before July 16th.