Lindsay council to consider refuse service rate increase

It looks like the Lindsay City Council will be able to approve rate increases for its solid waste refuse service at its next meeting.

The Lindsay City Council will hold a public hearing and consider a rate increase for picking up trash at its next meeting.

The council will hold its meeting at 6 p.m. Tuesday at Lindsay City Hall.

The monthly rates would be $25.83 for residential service, an increase of $5.51; $25.67 for commercial service, an increase of $5.41; and $7.35 for recycling, an increase of $1.32.

At its May 25 meeting the council passed a resolution stating its intent to raise rates

For waste refuse services. That also initiated the process in which Proposition 218 requirements would go into effect in which the majority of property owners would have to approve the rate increase.

The City of Lindsay has contracted with Mid-valley Disposal for waste refuse and recycling service. Mid-valley has estimated the annual cost to accounts for new environmental regulations will be $420,000.

The rate increase has been spread out over commercial, residential and recycling services to account for that cost.

The city has 2,793 commercial and residential waste service customers, meaning 1,398 affected property owners or rate payer, which is a majority, would have to provide signed written protests against the rate increase by the end of the public hearing. In that

event the rate increase wouldn’t go into effect.

A notice of an intent to increase rates and that a public hearing would be held on July 27 was sent to all affected property owners and rate payers and was postmarked June 11.

The city stated the refuse rates set are required to recoup the costs of providing service, including providing a reasonable reserve.

The city reported as of Friday it hadn’t received any protest ballots. The city also reported protest ballots would be available at the public hearing. Those who need more information can call 552-7102 or visit Lindsay City Hall.

“A majority protest exists if protests are submitted in opposition to the proposed increase by a majority of property owners,” the city staff report stated. “If there is a majority protest against the proposed rate increase the city council will not adopt the resolution.”

While the city staff report stated the resolution would immediately take effect once adopted customers wouldn’t receive the increased rate until they receive their bill in December.

Rates for trash pickup in Lindsay have remained the same since October 2019.