As of the end of 2024, the city of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, has racked up more than $14.8 million in unpaid trash bills. About $13.4 million of that is considered seriously overdue, with some people not paying their trash bills for over five years. This problem has been getting worse every year, and now city officials are trying to figure out what to do about it.
The issue started years ago, when the city stopped using water shutoffs as a way to force people to pay their trash bills. Once residents realized they could skip paying and still get trash pickup, many just stopped paying altogether. Now the city is stuck with a massive unpaid balance.
The City Treasurer Has a New Idea to Get People to Pay
City Treasurer Dan Miller has come up with a plan that he thinks could help the city collect more of this money. He wants to stop billing people every month for trash collection. Instead, he’s proposing a single yearly trash fee that would be added to everyone’s property tax bill.
Why this change? Miller says tying trash bills to property taxes would give the city more power to make people pay. If someone doesn’t pay their property taxes, the city can eventually take legal action—like a sheriff’s sale of the property. That kind of pressure could push more people to pay their trash fees on time.
Discounts and Payment Plans Would Help People Keep Up
Miller says he doesn’t want to make life harder for low-income homeowners, so he’s building some flexibility into the proposal. The plan includes a 2% discount for anyone who pays their bill early. It would also offer payment plans for people who need more time and financial relief options for those who qualify.
In other words, people who are responsible and pay early would save money, and those who are struggling would still have options to avoid falling behind. Miller believes this plan is a more practical and fair way to handle things.
Trash Bills – Video
Not Everyone Agrees With the Plan
Harrisburg Mayor Wanda Williams is not on board. She strongly opposes the idea of adding trash fees to property tax bills. According to her, the plan might not even be legal, and she believes it could put low-income families at risk of losing their homes if they fall behind.
She argues that instead of changing how the city collects bills, officials should enforce the current system more effectively. Her administration says it’s already working on this by hiring more staff to track down unpaid bills and by taking legal action against those who owe money.
A Vote Could Come Soon, But There’s Still Debate
Right now, the idea is still just a proposal. Dan Miller is planning to present it to the City Council, and there could be a vote later this year. In the meantime, the mayor and treasurer are clashing publicly over how best to handle the growing trash bill crisis.
The city has to find a way to fix this issue. Harrisburg’s residents depend on trash collection, but the system can’t keep running if millions of dollars go unpaid. Whether the city goes with Miller’s annual fee plan or sticks with the mayor’s current approach, something needs to change soon.
