Residential trash bills to increase, Laguna council decides

The cost of residential trash pickup in Laguna Beach will increase, the City Council decided Tuesday night.

Council members unanimously voted for a 2.5% increase in each of the next three fiscal years to cover rising costs associated with both collecting and disposing of waste at a county landfill.

Charges will appear on residents’ property tax bills beginning July 1.

The owner of a single-family home will pay about $5 more per year — $211.64 in fiscal year 2016-17 — compared with the current $206.48, according to a city staff report. The owner of a duplex will pay $328.31 a year compared with the current $320.30.

The city last raised residential disposal rates in 2010 — a 5.5% hike at that time. The new rates are adjustments to current contracts with Waste Management and the county, and are influenced by the Consumer Price Index, a measure of the average change in prices over time of goods and services.

The city renegotiated a 10-year agreement with Waste Management in 2013 to include a two-year rate freeze, the staff report said. The contract also includes programs to boost recycling among residents and businesses, City Manager John Pietig said.

Laguna has a separate 10-year agreement with the county to dump its trash at a landfill.