5 days Ago By By ARTURO BOJORQUEZ Editor
BRAWLEY – The Brawley City Council will consider Tuesday a 4% rate increase of refuse services for commercial and residential customers in the city provided by Republic Services. In a report, Brawley Finance Director Sylvia Luna wrote the rate increase, if approved, will be effective January 1, 2025. According to the finance director, in August 2016, Allied Waste Transportation Services entered into an exclusive franchise agreement to collect and dispose of solid waste and recyclables from residential, commercial, and industrial sites within the city of Brawley.
Since then, four amendments have been approved to incorporate street sweeping services and recycling services adding multifamily beam services, Luna wrote in that report. By the franchise agreement, the city cannot increase rates over 4% at any one annual anniversary. The rate increase is based on Consumer Price Index.
The CPI for all urban consumers for the Western Urban Area is published by the United States Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics for the latest 12 month period. The CPI rate of October 1st each year shall go into effect on January 1st for the contract year going forward. According to Luna, the city has been discussing the annual CPI increase and implementation of the unfunded state mandated mandate for organic waste recycling for Republic Services.
Both parties have agreed to continue discussions related to the extraordinary cost of organic waste recycling and implement the CPI adjustment as outlined in the agreement. Based on the CPI index, the CPI increase would be 5.06%.
However, the city is subject to a 4.0% cap on the annual CPI increase. The report reads that the current monthly residential rate of $27.
27 would increase to $28.36 per month. Commercial customers’ rates for three yard bin for commercial services with weekly pickup, including organic waste recycling, would go from $198.
05 to $205.97. On November 13, Shirley Moreno, operations manager of Republic Services of Imperial, requested the rate increase in a letter sent to interim city manager Jimmy Duran.
The city council will meet on December 17 at 6 p.m. at the city council chambers at 383 Main Street in Brawley.
The agenda also includes the oath of office administered to the newly appointed council member Perry Monita, the recognition of the Brawley Union High School varsity football team and the Brawley Union High School varsity flag football team, as well as the adoption of an ordinance imposing a transaction and use tax to be administered by the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration. The city council will also consider a resolution approving two agreements with the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration to prepare for and to administer the voter-approved 1% transaction and use tax and setting forth the employee positions authorized to examine tax records. Also, the city council is expected to appoint members of the Brawley Parks and Recreation Commission, the Brawley Airport Advisory Commission, and the Brawley Planning Commission.
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