BUFFALO, N.Y. — Daniel Zimmerman got his bill in the mail last week for his annual garbage pickup fee.

"At first, I didn't pay much attention to it," he admitted. "I normally get it every year, and I finally looked at it, and it was significantly higher than it was the previous year."

Mayor Byron Brown announced with the passage of the new city budget in May that prices would rise for the first time since he took office in 2006.

The rate for a 35 gallon tote went up an extra $17 per year; a 65 gallon tote is up $37 and a 95 gallon tote is an additional $67.

Zimmerman posted about the new fees in a neighborhood Facebook group.

"From a lot of the feedback I heard, people would prefer that it would have been rolled in in phases or already phased in over time, so really just a big shock to get it all at once," Zimmerman said.

Before the new fees passed, Brown said that over the last nine years, the city had transferred $31 million to its solid waste enterprise fund, something he wanted to stop.

Common Councilmember Rich Fontana agrees that something needed to be done, but he offered a different plan to help with costs, which included going from two to one large pickups per year.

He also wants to close the transfer station in his district to reduce odors and rats and have the trash hauled directly to Niagara Falls.

"They're saying why should every truck go up there, but I'm saying fill those trucks to the rim. Pack 'em. Drive 'em up to Niagara Falls, then when they come back, they're done with the shift as opposed to dumping the stuff, transferring it into another truck, and driving those trucks up," Fontana said.

As for the residential fees, a city spokesperson says costs can be reduced by calling 311 and ordering a smaller tote.