Dickson County Considers New Ways to Collect $10 Monthly Trash Fee

Charlotte, TN - Dickson County officials are considering changes to the way the county collects its $10 monthly sanitation fee after the electric utility urged the county to find an alternative billing method.

County Mayor Danny Williams identified the issue as one of five priorities he wants commissioners to examine during his first 100 days in office. He presented three possible approaches during the Dickson County Commission’s September 8, 2026 work session: establishing a county operated billing system, adding an annual sanitation charge to property tax bills or ending the separate fee and funding sanitation through property taxes.

No change was approved at the work session, and residents will continue paying the fee under the existing system unless the commission takes action later.

The county currently places the $10 charge on electric meters, with the utility collecting the money on the county’s behalf. Revenue from the fee supports the county’s landfill and sanitation operations.

Williams said the arrangement has become increasingly difficult as the number of electric meters has grown. He also said the utility has encouraged county officials to develop another collection method and no longer wants to handle the billing indefinitely.

The county pays the utility to administer the charge.

One alternative would be for the county to create its own billing operation. That would allow the county to continue assessing a separate sanitation fee, but it could require new software, staff and procedures for issuing bills and collecting unpaid balances.

A second option would be to place an annual sanitation fee on property tax bills as a separate line item. Williams cited Hickman County as an example of a county using that approach.

Moving the charge to tax bills, however, could change who pays it. The present system is tied to electric meters, while a property tax based system would be tied to parcels or property owners. Commissioners would have to determine how the charge would apply to rental properties, multiple parcels, tax-exempt property and locations with more than one electric meter.

The county currently allows exemptions from the monthly fee for some meters that do not serve residences, such as meters used for barns. Those requests are handled through the county’s Sanitation Board.

The third possibility would eliminate the separate sanitation charge and place the cost of the service into the county’s property tax rate. That could simplify collection, but it would shift the expense from electric meter customers to property taxpayers.

Williams said he plans to bring commissioners more information about the cost and procedures associated with each alternative before asking them to make a decision.

Until those details are presented and the commission votes, the existing $10 monthly charge remains in place.