Politics & Government
Board to Consider Increase in Trash Collection Fees for Thousand Palms
Thousand Palms and the county's other unincorporated communities may see an increase. A public hearing on the issue is scheduled.
RIVERSIDE, CA - Riverside County supervisors Tuesday scheduled a June 21 public hearing to consider whether to increase fees for trash collection in unincorporated communities.
According to Department of Environmental Health Director Steve Van Stockum, the three waste haulers under contract with the county -- Burrtec Waste, CR&R Inc. and Waste Management Inc. -- are seeking a 2 percent hike in fees to keep pace with inflation over the last year.
Van Stockum characterized the increase as relatively small, adding an average 35 cents per month to residents' bills.
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The board adjusts refuse retrieval rates virtually every year. In the past, adjustments have been as high as 3 percent.
However, last year, a .7 percent hike became a hotly debated issue after several Mead Valley residents complained to the board that Waste Management was tacking extra charges onto their bills after their properties were designated "hard-to-serve," even though the homes were not on hillsides or in isolated locations.
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Supervisor Kevin Jeffries demanded answers from the company, whose spokeswoman admitted "errors" and assured the board that the deficiencies would be rectified. Within two months, more than 750 residences were reclassified to remove the additional cost burdens.
Waste collection for the county occurs in what are known as "franchise areas," which currently number 13 and encompass communities like Cabazon, Desert Center, East Hemet, Lakeland Village, Thermal and Thousand Palms.
The inflationary adjustments to fees are based on fluctuations in the consumer price index for the Los Angeles metropolitan area between Jan. 1 and Dec. 30, 2015.
Most residents pay between $17.92 and $31.91 per month for service, according to county officials. The cost band for commercial accounts is $95 to $1,500 per month. Residents are generally billed quarterly.
In addition to the rate hike, the board on June 21 will consider whether to authorize a "processing charge" of $31.50 that would be added to the property tax bills of customers whose accounts are seriously in arrears.
– By City News Service. Image via Shutterstock.
