TROY – The owners of 2,119 properties who failed to pay their entire $160 trash fee will see it added to their 2019 tax bills after the City Council voted 4-1 Friday to relevy the unpaid fee.

The city fell short by 16 percent when property owners failed to pay a total of $557,445 in trash fees, according to officials. That’s nearly 11 percent of the properties in the city. The unpaid fees range from $5.09 to $1,104, according to city records.

Democratic Councilman Anasha Cummings said the relevy is required by the City Charter. Cummings was joined by fellow Democratic Council members David BIssember, T.J. Kennedy and Coleen Murtaugh-Paratore in approving the relevy.

“There's no better proof that the garbage fee is double taxation than putting it on the 2019 property tax rolls,” said Republican Council President Carmella Mantello, who voted against the relevy. Republican Councilmen Jim Gulli and Mark McGrath did not attend the special council meeting.

Mayor Patrick Madden, a Democrat, emphasized it would not be fair to the 90 percent of property owners who paid their trash fee not to relevy it on the scofflaws. Madden also said that the charter requires the relevy, that not to so would be illegal.

The trash fee is levied on individual residential units. A two-family building would have an annual trash bill of $320 in 2018, while a four-unit building would have a bill of $640.

The trash fee will rise to $164 per unit in 2019 under the adopted 2019 city budget. This is a $4 increase per unit over the $160 fee for 2018.

When the fee was originally created for the 2018 budget, it was only for one year. This year the City Council extended it adding the $4 increase.

Mantello has said she will continue to stand against the trash fee. The Republicans have been trying to build the fee up into a campaign issue as the 2019 elections for mayor, council president and the six council seats approach.

Madden is expected to seek re-election as the Democratic candidate. Mantello has been mentioned as the possible Republican contender for the post.