N.Y. Council Cool on Charging Charities for Trash Pickup

New York City Council members expressed strong opposition Thursday to a proposal by Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg’s administration to charge charities and religious groups a fee for garbage collection, The Wall Street Journal reports.

Fernando Cabrera, a counsel member and church pastor who represents the Bronx, said the additional financial burden would force houses of worship hard-hit by the recession and declining donations to shut down.

The city estimates that expanding the trash levy to nonprofit groups would generate $17.2-million a year in revenue. John Doherty, the city’s sanitation commissioner, told the council at a hearing Thursday that doing so would be “very difficult” but needs to be considered in light of the city’s fiscal picture. “We don’t want to cut the services,” he said.