Glendale Proposes Refuse Rate Hike for Businesses, Homes

Glendale business owners andresidents could see their fees for city-operated refuse disposal increase, city officials said. The city is proposing a 3-percent rate hike to help pay for increased landfill disposal costs and the city’s conversion of its diesel fuel vehicle fleet to vehicles that use compressed natural gas, according to Stephen Zurn, the city’s director of public works. Since Glendale’s last refuse rate increase in 2008, landfill disposal costs have increased by 22 percent, and the conversion to compressed natural gas has added a cost of $875,000. Meanwhile, the city has also experienced a major decrease in refuse levels because of the economic downturn, Zurn said. “It’s typical of any recessionary period,” he said. “People are buying less and throwing less away.” During the recession, the city went from disposing of about 1,600 tons of refuse a day to a low of about 800 tons a day, said Jake Amar, the city’s environmental programs administrator. Refuse levels are now rising again with about 900 to 950 tons of refuse being disposed each day, he added. The city’s refuse division serves about 30 to 35 percent of the city’s businesses, Zurn said. A business renting one cubic-yard bin that is collected weekly would experience a fee increase of $1.53 per month, raising the rate from $50.86 to $52.39, according to statement released by the city. Businesses’ fee overall increases would depend on the size of their bins, the number of bins they rent and how many times their bins are collected per week. Additional burden The rate hike, though small, could provide additional hardship for already struggling businesses, said Judee Kendall, vice president and CEO of Glendale Chamber of Commerce. “Even though they may be very small (increases), they add up and they’re very burdensome,” she said, adding that the chamber has not yet taken a formal position on the rate change. Zurn said city officials have already taken steps to be sensitive to the economic needs of residents and businesses. Those steps have included waiving a fee hike last year and keeping the city’s refuse rates among the lowest in the county. “Any kind of an increase might be difficult for some people,” Zurn said. “But again, we are trying to keep it to the absolute minimum. At this point, it’s not even covering all of the additional costs that we have, (but) just what is necessary to keep our business running effectively.” Services funded by refuse collection fees include refuse, recycling and yard waste collection; bulky item and electronic waste collection programs; composting programs; and the street sweeping operation. The fees also contribute to the city’s programs created to comply with a state mandate that requires cities to divert at least 50 percent of their waste streams to landfills, according to the city’s statement. A public hearing about the rate increase is scheduled for June 15 at 6 p.m. in the City Council Chambers.