Fresno residents hoping to protest any potential rate hikes to the city’s garbage pickup service will have to wait a couple months to do so.
Friday, the City of Fresno announced that it is rescheduling the Proposition 218 meeting to discuss the proposed rate hikes to June.
The backstory: Last year city officials revealed that the city needs to raise its solid waste rates in order to cover all costs and avoid dipping into city reserves.
- The Department of Public Utilities has been operating in the red since 2015.
- Rates would increase by nearly $20 per month by 2029 for the standard 96-gallon solid waste service.
The big picture: The city had scheduled the hearing to discuss the rates for May 2. All Fresno residents were supposed to be mailed notices for the hearing and instructions for how they could protest, under Proposition 218.
- But the city said Friday that it discovered a technical error in the mailing list that inadvertently omitted some residents.
- That pushed the hearing back to June 20 at 5 p.m. in order to provide the required 45 days from notice to hearing.
What we’re watching: If a majority of Fresno residents submit written protests against the proposed rate hikes, the City Council will be barred from moving forward with a plan.
- If there is less than a majority that protests, the City Council will be free to vote on the plan, which could take effect as soon as July.
