LAKEPORT — City residents will soon see another slight increase in their garbage bills after the City Council Tuesday voted to correct an error made late last year when Lakeport Disposal requested an annual rate adjustment.
The contract between the franchise hauler and the city allows for a rate change based on a Consumer Price Index (CPI) calculated for Northern California.
The council approved an inflationary adjustment in December, but the two parties weren”t working from the same formula.
“The increase that was passed was the wrong index,” Utilities Director Mark Brannigan told council members Tuesday at City Hall.
The contract stipulates using the CPI for “all urban wage earners and clerical workers” (CPI-W) when calculating the rate changes, which equates to a 2.7-percent increase.
However, the council granted a 2.4-percent increase Dec. 20, basing its decision on a formula with the CPI for “all urban consumers” (CPI-U) — which is the index the city”s Finance Department typically relies on for inflationary adjustments, Brannigan said.
Council members resolved the discrepancy Tuesday, voting unanimously to raise residential waste collection fees by 0.3 percent.
The move results in an increase of 4 to 18 cents depending on the resident”s trash plan.
People with a 20-gallon garbage bin will pay $13.70 a month in 2012. The other monthly costs will be $20.55 for one 32-gallon container, $41.10 for two 32-gallon bins and $61.64 for the 95-gallon holder.
The new prices will be retroactively applied to January, according to city staff.
In other business during the 30-minute public meeting, the council passed a resolution allowing staff to submit a grant application.
City Engineer Scott Harter said the city is eligible for energy-efficiency funds available through the California Energy Commission.
The money would be used to replace or retrofit existing high pressure sodium streetlights with LED lighting, Harter said.
Council members also passed a nine-item consent agenda.
With the vote, the officials accepted a letter of appreciation from the Lake County Office of Education, which commended the Lakeport Police Department and Officer Gary Basor for conducting security checks at its South Main Street location and other city businesses.
The council approved two event applications on the consent agenda: one from Hillside Honda for a 50th anniversary celebration on April 28 and another from Corvettes of Lake County for its annual “Run to the Lake” car show set to occur May 27 on Park Street.
Contact Jeremy Walsh at jwalsh@record-bee.com or call him at 263-5636, ext. 37.
