HomeMy WebLinkAbout3/18/2025 Item 6a & 6b, Pinard
Peg Pinard <
To:E-mail Council Website
Cc:news@ksby.com; Tribune; news@newtimesslo.com
Subject:Proposed Solid Waste Rate Increase
This message is from an External Source. Use caution when deciding to open attachments, click links, or respond.
Re: Notice of Proposed Solid Waste Rate Increase
March 16, 2025
From Peg Pinard,
Former Mayor and SLO County Supervisor
City Council Members,
Given the current climate of chaos and lack of transparency in what we are witnessing nationwide, I hope that you will address the issues that I
am presenting in a clear and responsible manner. We were sent the city’s proposed increases to the garbage rates and I have a couple of
comments regarding what is being proposed.
1. It says: “Calculation of a 10% profit allowance on projected collection service costs (increased from 9% in 2025, and approximately
5.5% of overall costs) to the Garbage Company starting in 2026 (estimated at an additional .67% to .69% adjustment in 2026).
And these rates “commencing each January1 of 2026, 2027, 2028 and 2029 will be adjusted…”
Increasing a guaranteed profit to 10%, no matter how well (or not well) a business is run appears to be out-of-line with how people are feeling
about the cost increases that we are all experiencing. None of us are guaranteed such a profit. This increase is above and beyond their actual
operating costs. This is a mandated service for city residents and fuels the dissatisfaction with the governments’ constantly rising costs.
2. The charges are based on container size and yet it was nearly impossible to get the small size household/residential containers for those of
us who are able to keep our waste to a minimum. As part of this contract please require that the garbage company (who have said that they are
not re-ordering any more of the smaller containers) are required to keep the small containers readily available. The city’s goal used to be to get
more people to reduce their waste, I’m hoping that it is still a city goal.
3. The city has been raising its rates in all of its services. These increases have been substantial and are all cumulative… there were direct
increases in water and sewer rates — as well as the city’s add-on taxes to the rising internet, phone, TV, gas, electric, etc.
This doesn’t even take into account the additional, rising sales tax income that the city receives with its tax on the ever increasing costs of
goods and services.
While the city has claimed it cares about rental housing costs, it is doing very little to keep those costs in check - especially over services that it
has a direct impact on. While there are certainly large corporate entities in charge of housing (especially with the huge student housing
complexes) the majority of rental housing in SLO is from ‘Mom and Pops” who may have a single ADU or some other limited number of rental
properties. Insurance alone has seen massive rate increases, (if even available) from what it was even just year ago.
Yet, there is no such response from the city to “guarantee” any profit as it is doing with this contract. For rental properties, the city taxes the
entire income without any allowance for the costs — yet you keep upping the costs! How is that fair? And yet here you want to ‘up’ a
guaranteed profit for one business.
My concern is that you be fair to everyone and take responsibility for the increases that you have so casually been enacting. It is not
ok to be telling everyone else what they can do and not take responsibility for the part you play in driving up costs.
1