Suffolk city officials are anticipating a budget surplus of $3 to $5 million dollars, and have been brainstorming ways to spend the money according to The Virginian Pilot.

Currently, the most popular idea is to use the extra money to fund bulk trash pick-up instead of charging residents for the service. This could be great news for homeowners who not only want to receive the service for free, but also live in neighborhoods where trash is abandoned because other residents do not want to pay for the service.

"The city anticipates a budget surplus of $3 million to $5 million, according to an audit that is nearing completion.

The projected surplus is an estimate of the city's financial standing at the close of the last fiscal year, which ended June 30, said Finance Director Dale Walker. He cautioned that 'this next fiscal year may be a whole 'nother story.'

Council members responded Wednesday with a flurry of ideas on how to spend the money. The exact amount of cash won't be known for two or three weeks.

Several liked the idea of using it to fund bulk trash collections. The city recently began charging residents for the service to balance the budget, prompting complaints about the cost, lingering debris piles alongside roads and reports of illegal dumping.

'To have a surplus in this economy is really an amazing thing,' Mayor Linda Johnson said.

Johnson said there are 'a number of things' the council might address with the money, but she singled out bulk trash pick up service.

She acknowledged that she had been a consistent supporter of the city's new fee schedule but said in recent days she has driven around town "looking at piles of trash" and talking to residents.

'We're going to have to do something,' she said of the trash issue."

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