Lodi council to consider raising city’s trash rates

The Lodi City Council is slated to hold a public hearing to consider a 2.97 percent increase in solid waste collection rates during its meeting scheduled for Wednesday night at Carnegie Forum.

According to a report written by Public Works Director Charlie Swimley, the city’s agreement with Central Valley Waste Management allows rates for solid waste collection to be adjusted annually on April 1.

Waste Management has chosen to increase rates by 80 percent of the annual change in the consumer price index plus an adjustment for increased landfill gate fees at county-owned disposal sites.

“On an annual basis, costs go up for providing services, and what happens is in most contracts you create a mechanism that provides that increase to keep up with costs on an annual basis,” Waste Management Vice President and General Manager Alex Oseguera said.

The increase in rates based on 80 percent of the CPI change is 2.577 percent and 0.393 percent for the landfill gate fee increase.

For most residential customers, the rate increase will be $0.79 per month and franchise and billing fees paid to the city will increase by about $40,000.

“Across the state the majority of cities and municipalities have franchise businesses and with all of those contracts, they have rate incurred increase mechanisms on a yearly basis, and that’s to prevent deterioration of services if someone can’t keep up with the cost of providing service,” Oseguera said.

Small increases on a yearly basis prevents having to make a one-time significant increase, Oseguera said.

“We continue to enjoy the partnership with the citizens and the City of Lodi,” Oseguera said. “We continue to provide high-quality service.”