San Jose residents will pay not only for gas, but also for taking out the trash.
The city council unanimously approved an increase in garbage collection fees at its meeting on Tuesday. In July, rates for single-family homes will increase by 8% and multi-family homes by 4%. Officials believe the need to raise rates is due to rising costs for waste collection companies.
City councilors approved the fee with little debate, noting that it included many services that residents weren’t typically aware of or availed of, such as free on-demand junk pickup.
“These fees include a lot of other things,” said City Councilman David Cohen. “Including picking up yard waste and large items. I’m surprised to see how few people know about picking up long projects.”
About 85% of household waste collection fees will be $3.66, and multi-family homes will increase by $1.16 per unit per month, according to city documents. The higher rate would generate an additional $10 million in revenue for her to cover the increased costs.
Contract costs rose 4.5% this year based on cost-of-living adjustments and increased operating costs for waste haulers. This cost accounts for 90% of the city’s waste management budget. The city contracts with his four waste management companies: Greenwaste, GreenTeam, Garden City Sanitation and California Waste Solutions.
Some residents and city leaders aren’t happy with the price increases.
“We are disappointed with the price increases for garbage and recycling services, especially after last year’s big price increases,” Councilor Pam Foley told the San Jose Spotlight before the vote. We understand the need for rate hikes due to the rise and the increase needed to be able to cover the contractual obligations we have.”
Foley opposed last year’s rate hike, which rose 17%. At the time, she pointed out that water and utility bills were rising, and that it was the wrong time to put a financial burden on residents. Advised me to postpone.
She said that although the rate of increase was significantly smaller than last year, it would be an economic hit to residents.
“This is hurting our residents’ wallets. It’s our job as a city to make sure we get the best deals for our residents,” Foley said.
More than 300 residents wrote to the city council protesting the toll increase, less than 1% of those affected. According to California law, about 50% of residents have to protest to stop price increases.
A handful of residents spoke at the conference and shared how price increases would have a negative impact.
“We already pay a lot of high cost of living, especially gasoline, but now everything is more expensive,” said Hang Wu, a resident of District 8. “Many of us in the neighborhood have fixed incomes and need help. We strongly oppose rate hikes,” he said.
Pierluigi Oliverio of the San Jose Planning Commission, a former trustee and board member of the Silicon Valley Tax Association who opposes tax increases, said he understands that inflation affects contract costs.
“But if the city wants residents to pay more, it needs to make every component of the cost easy to understand,” Olivario told San Jose Spotlight. “Inflation exists, so make the process transparent.”
Contact Jana Kadah [email protected] Or @Jana_Kadah on Twitter.
