BRISTOL, Va. (WJHL) — Residents in Bristol, Virginia continue to deal with the foul odors coming from the city’s now-closed landfill.
Residents may end up facing a tax increase due to landfill remediation costs.
If the City Council decides to raise taxes, part of the reason why is because of the landfill.
Chris Knupp, a resident, is concerned about how paying for the landfill will affect residents.
“Is it going to hurt, yes, there’s a lot of people in this area living on steady income, but they don’t have the extra money,” Knupp said.
The city is also looking at state and federal grants to help with the costs associated with the landfill.
Mayor Neal Osborne says even with the city potentially facing budget cuts, there are some areas that will be off-limits.
“There won’t be any kind of cuts to education or public safety,” Osborne said.
He also said it is important to protect city employees and city services.
“We have a fiduciary responsibility to the citizens and we have to provide for the health, safety and welfare of our city, and that includes fully funding schools, fully funding public safety,” Osborne said.
With a tax hike possible, Knupp says he just wants it to be over so the community can have a better quality of life.
“We need to get it fixed and I know they’re working on it,” Knupp said.
The next budget meeting is set for Feb. 28. If the City Council decides to raise taxes, changes will likely take effect July 1.
