Garbage collection rates will increase in Fresno by as much as 114 percent by 2029.
Thursday, the Fresno City Council approved the rate increase on a 5-2 vote, with Councilmembers Garry Bredefeld and Luis Chavez voting against it.
The backstory: The Department of Public Utilities told the city council last year that it has been operating in the red since 2015 and needs to increase rates to maintain its garbage service without having to be subsidized.
- Without rate increases – which have not happened since 2009 – the city could have faced a $50 million shortfall.
Flashback: Last week the city held a Proposition 218 hearing, which could have potentially shut down all talk of rate hikes.
- But Fresno residents turned in 50,315 protest cards, short of the 58,480 majority needed to automatically reject the increases.
The big picture: Garbage collection rates will gradually increase over the next five years, starting in July.
- Residents with a standard 96-gallon trash car will see their bills increase by $25.37 to $45.24 per month by 20209 – a 78 percent increase.
- Rates for the 64-gallon trash cart will increase by 114 percent over the five year period, rising by $19.20 to total $41.21 per month.
