Trash haulers given OK for 10% rate hike
Fee to go into action April 1
Rural residents and business owners will be paying a little more than they expected, and sooner than they expected, to have their trash picked up.
Tuesday, the Tulare County Board of Supervisors approved an across-the-board 10 percent rate hike for trash service in the unincorporated areas of the county. The new fee will go into effect on April 1.
The Tulare County Refuse Removal Association requested a rate hike following the county increasing fees it charges the private haulers at the county landfills. The haulers need to get board approval to raise their fees and the last time they increased the fees was in 2008.
Roger Hunt, assistant Resource Management Agency director, said the county was in agreement with a rate hike, but recommended a roughly 8 percent increase, which would have been $1.75 a month increase.
Richard Gress, president of the association, said in asking for a slightly higher increase — they had asked for a 12 percent rate hike — that they had not had an increase in five years and they do not get any automatic rate increases. He said it could be two or more years before they ask for another rate increase.
“We don’t come here every year seeking an increase,” he told the board.
Supervisor Phil Cox agreed with the haulers, recommending the 10 percent across the board increase.
“The last time we did this we had maybe 100 people show up to trash the haulers, and I don’t see that today. We ought to commend our haulers,” said Cox in making the motion for the 10 percent increase.
He was supported by supervisors Mike Ennis and Steven Worthley, with Allen Ishida and Pete Vander Poel voting against the motion.
Ennis pointed out that many senior citizens are not aware of the senior discount. That amounts to about $1.50 a month off the bill.
The county had noted the request was for the new fee to become effective May 1, but Hunt said that was a mistake and the county went along with the April 1 increase.
Commercial customers will also see a 10 percent increase.
