San Diego officials to vote on lower trash pickup fee of $47 per month
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San Diego residents accustomed to free trash pickup could be charged soon, but the city has slightly lowered the fee it's expected to levy following resident backlash.
Why it matters: The century-old practice of providing free service to most single-family homes is on the verge of being replaced with a $47 standard monthly charge.
- That's down from a $53 monthly fee proposed in February.
State of play: The City Council is scheduled to set the fee Monday, but can choose a lower amount than the proposal, which reflects city staff's estimate of the cost of providing the service.
What's new: The lowered price reflects two changes made by staff after a third round of outreach conducted after the original amount was announced and met with protests.
- The fee will no longer cover regular community cleanup events, which staff says it plans to fund through other sources.
- The city has $2 million unspent from residents who have purchased trash bins, which staff is pushing into the program to lower the initial cost.
By the numbers: The $47 fee would be for a typical bundle of large bins for trash, recycling and yard/food waste. That would gradually increase to $62 per month in 2029.
- Staff proposed cheaper alternatives, like residents receiving fewer or no bulky item pickup options, that save little in the first year but could keep the cost to $57 in 2029.
Catch up quick: Voters in 2022 approved Measure B, rescinding the 1919 "People's Ordinance," which guaranteed free trash pickup for most single-family residences.
- Since then, voters rejected a proposal to raise sales taxes for city services, leaving officials to plug a $250 million budget deficit.
- The fee would save the city's general fund an estimated $80 to $90 million in its first year, city staff estimates.
What they're saying: Jeremy Bauer, assistant director of the Environmental Services Department, said their estimates have been unaffected by budget pressures.
- "We are tasked with estimating the cost of providing this service, but it's up to the council whether they want to fully or partially recover those costs," he told Axios. "That continues to be the council's decision."
How it works: Affected property owners will receive a mail notice of the increase, as required by Proposition 218, a 1996 state law restricting how local governments impose taxes and fees.
- Property owners can protest the increase by returning a portion of the notice. If a majority of owners protest, they kill the fee.
- If not, the council would adopt the fee at a June 9 hearing. The council could select a lower fee at that point, but nothing higher than what is sent in the notice.
Friction point: Most residents of multi-family units — who generally have lower incomes than residents of single-family homes — already pay private companies to collect their trash.
- The city's proposal includes $3 million for a subsidy program for low-income residents in single-family dwellings.