Eureka, California, residents will now pay more for garbage and recycling pickup after Mayor Kim Bergel broke a deadlocked city council vote in favor of a rate increase.
What happened?
On August 4, the Eureka City Council approved the price hike after it failed to advance on July 21 when two council members were absent, according to KymKemp.com. Under the approved increase, customers with a 32-gallon trash bin will see their monthly bill rise by $3.61 to $45.94.
Environmental project manager Robin Praszker said Eureka's franchise agreement with Recology Humboldt County allows yearly changes "to ensure that rates recover the cost of providing collection services." The vote, however, exposed a clear divide on the council.
Pointing to what she said amounts to about a 25% to 30% increase over the past four years, Councilmember Rene Contreras-Deloach argued against continuing to raise rates.
"We talk about how we really wish we didn't have to do it and then we pass the rate increase," she said, per KymKemp.com. "We just keep raising the rates and raising the rates on everybody across the board on everything."
Opposing council members took offense, resulting in a tense back-and-forth that ended in a tied vote, which Mayor Bergel ultimately broke, siding with the increase.
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Why is this concerning?
For households already facing rising utility and service bills, the new pricing adds another monthly cost for an essential public service.
"At what point then do we just say it's gotten to the point where it's too damn much," Councilmember Mario Fernandez said, as relayed by KymKemp.com.
Among the reasons for higher rates, Praszker cited fuel expenses tied to hauling waste roughly 200 miles to the nearest landfill. As the prices of goods continue to rise, the responsibility constantly falls on the shoulders of consumers.
Making recycling affordable encourages homeowners to participate and keeps waste from overcrowded landfills and supports a circular economy.
What's being done?
The city is continuing to use the annual rate-adjustment process in its franchise agreement so providers can cover the cost of service.
Councilmember Leslie Castellano, a member of the Humboldt Waste Management Authority board, said planning efforts that address the bigger picture are a better way to control costs.
She said the rate hike was "a bitter pill" but urged approval so Eureka could "continue doing business and supporting waste collection in our county."
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