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Rates for Hollister garbage services may increase on July 1.
The Hollister City Council is scheduled to consider maximum garbage rates for the next five years at its June 15 meeting. The proposed rate increases are as much as 5% annually starting in the 2027-28 fiscal year.
The city mailed a notice earlier this year to residents that includes the proposed new rates and an official protest form.
Recology San Benito provides city garbage services for Hollister, San Juan Bautista and unincorporated areas. The hearing for the new rates pertains to Hollister customers only.
According to the Recology website, the 20-gallon cart rate is expected to increase by 17 cents to $34.28 and the 32-gallon cart would increase by 23 cents to $41.11 for 2025-26.
The larger increases begin in the 2027-28 fiscal year, where the maximum allowed rate increases to $35.99 and $43.17, respectively.
According to the notice, the actual rate increases may be lower and the City Council would only consider approving the proposed increases if less than a majority of property owners submit a written protest.
“The solid waste rates were established through a competitive procurement process for a Franchise Agreement that was awarded to Recology San Benito County,” the notice states.
The notice states rates are adjusted annually using a consumer price index, fuel index, and disposal and processing costs. It adds that the rate revenue pays for collection and disposal of garbage, recyclable materials, organics, seasonal recycling programs, free curbside bully item collection, free compost giveaways, free electronic recycling and shredding services events, and outreach and education programs.
Recology offers discounts to eligible low-income customers. According to Recology’s website, customers qualify for the low income program if they are enrolled in either PG&E’s CARE program or AT&T’s Lifeline program.
In 2020, BenitoLink reported on the program not being advertised on Recology’s website. BenitoLink could not find information about the program on Recology’s homepage. As was the case in 2020, the program is only referenced on its rate sheet.
The page with information on the low-income program appears to only be accessible by using the search function.
In 2021, Recology’s San Francisco Branch agreed to repay its customers $95 million following an investigation which found it had overcharged for its services since 2017. The agreement also included a $7 million payment to the city of San Francisco.
The potential increase in garbage rates follows a recent water service rate hike. Hollister City Manager Ana Cortez said in a recent meeting that she expected several rounds of increases for water services.
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