Council panel advances trash fee ordinance 3-2

City Council · Meeting of August 11, 2026

FALL RIVER — The Fall River City Council Committee on Ordinance and Legislation voted 3-2 to recommend second reading of an ordinance ending automatic trash pickup for five- and six-family properties. Councilors Shawn Cadime, Michelle Dionne and Chair Andrew Raposo backed the measure; Michael Canuel and Linda Pereira opposed it. Special Counsel Matt Thomas said the change could save the city $500,000 to $600,000 annually in disposal costs, while estimating the city's own cost to continue service at $317.50 per quarter per 95-gallon bin, versus $225 from E.L. Harvey and $262.36 from United States Bins.

Dionne said the fee would amount to "$17 a month" for a five-family unit. Pereira countered, "Everybody gets their trash picked up or nobody gets their trash picked up." A separate motion to table the ordinance failed 2-3. The committee also re-tabled a long-pending ordinance on overnight commercial vehicle parking after raising concerns about emergency-service exemptions.

In the full story:

• Citizens' Input: Bicycle and E-Bike Regulation
• Minutes Approval
• Item 3: All-Night Parking Ban for Commercial Vehicles
• Item 4: Solid Waste Collection Ordinance Amendment (Five- and Six-Family Units)
• Item 5: Resolution on Council Authority Over Short-Term Department Head Contracts
• Who Was There
• Organizations And Documents Referenced
• The complete report: 2,556 words

Source: the City Council meeting of August 11, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.

Checked against the record: before publication this article was automatically compared with the meeting transcript. It was corrected where it differed.