AnonymousBy Courtney Jameson
The City of Santa Barbara is at it again, proposing a new rate hike for trash and recycling.
I received a letter from the city this week advising of a public hearing. How tone-deaf can the city be? We’re in a pandemic. A large percentage of the population is unable to work and either receiving or waiting for government assistance just to be able to afford rent/mortgage and groceries.
The letter stated the city must increase its rates to pay Marborg for increases in inflation of 2.2% as measured by the Consumer Price Index, plus 4.7% for an increase in processing and disposal fees, resulting in a proposed rate schedule increase for all sectors of 6.9%.
For example, a small residential home that has 65-gallon trash, recycling, and green waste bins will see a 7.10% increase from $48.90 to $52.37. This doesn’t include the 6% utility tax.
The City Council will consider adopting these rates on June 30, one week after the public hearing, with the new rates effective on July 1.
I’m flabbergasted with our local leaders. Certainly, Marborg and the City can come to an agreement during these difficult times, but to tax people MORE right now? This is absurd. It will take many of us a long time to recover from this if we ever do. The least they could do is a vote to postpone this whole process until next year.
I’m hoping other Santa Barbara City residents will join me in protesting this rate increase. A public hearing will be held on Tuesday, June 23, residents can phone in for the virtual session.
Additionally, a written protest can be submitted to the City Clerk at 735 Anacapa Street, Santa Barbara, CA 93101 prior to June 23. The protest must include your name, service address, and whether you’re protesting the amount of the fee increase, the basis for the calculation of the fee, or both.
Join me in protesting this unnecessary, insulting, and tone-deaf rate hike.
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Marborg, is unfortunately, the only game in town.
We can’t hire private, or get bids from other companies, that is done in most of the country.
This is exactly like the cable TV/ High Speed Internet deal here in town. You get a choice of Cox or nothing for at least 15 – 20 years due to the sweetheart deal they negotiate with the cities. How about some serious competition for a change? It’s total BS they way Cox, et al are allowed to keep these deals forever due to “their infrastructure costs” according to them. Hogwash! “Change is good.”
Goleta Water also sent a notice regarding hearings for rate hikes. Ridiculous. to all utilities and government agencies: you will need to do more with less, just like the rest of us.
It is AMAZING that Marborg has not been forced to automate the pickup of trash in town.
It is stupid to expect their workers to go onto each property and roll out the bins to be dumped at the truck. IF citizens were required to pull to the curb, Marborg could pick up and drop from the truck with a hydraulic arm and never leave the cab. This would dramatically speed up the process and cut costs significantly.
I don’t know how many have noticed, but: as soon as all this Covid stuff started, the city effectively shut every public restroom that they operate. They closed them and had Marborg place port’a potties (multiple) at each location plus wash stations. I have to admit, I was a bit shocked. So, the city has people on payroll who service the restrooms, right? That’s there job, right? So the city shuts down the RR’s and lets Marborg handle. The port’a’s have to be on a daily cleaning or 2x day depending on use – maybe more per location -n and we’re in a pandemic. This is not cheap! So the city is paying for staffers who aren’t working AND paying Marborg probably 500% more in rental services for ALL public restrooms. Where is the pride SB? I’d demand an audit and financial statement for these services immediately.
But that’s exactly what we have over in our neck of the woods near the transfer station. Truck pulls up and a grappling arm grabs the bin, hoists it to the top of the arm rail and flips the contents into the back of the truck. The arm then brings the can down to the ground, lets go and the truck moves on. AMAZING, isn’t it!
I just wanted to add that for the last commercial project I managed I had 3 port’a potties and 2 wash stations. Our monthly cost was close to $500/month, including a weekly cleaning, sometimes 2x depending on labor load on site. So one park in town with a similar set up, having to get cleaned daily would probably bee around 200/day, so maybe 1500/week because they DO need daily servicing due to high use times how many parks in town? 20? So, $30000 a week for these services? Enjoy the rate hike.
I am so angry with this “proposed” rate increase that I am having a hard time controlling my thoughts about yet another egregious and avaricious money-grab. That this is happening amid the economic catastrophe caused by government overreaction to the COVID-19 virus makes it even more repulsive. Believe me, there is nothing “proposed here” – it WILL happen regardless of what anyone does to oppose or vent frustration. Read the fine print – this increase will start beginning with your July bill. If you bother to read the notice that was sent out, it is full of misleading wording, contradictions, exaggerations , unproven projections “in order to meet State of California’s 2020 …legislative requirements”. A combined 6.9% inflation index and 7.1% increase for a single family residence , not including another 6% utility tax added on -really? I read that as “Thank our legislatures and city council for continuing to try and squeeze blood out of their turnips.” There are many reasons people are leaving California, and this is yet another example.
How does out City Manager make this decision to shut down all public restrooms and replace with Marborg portables? Is the concern that people will be more apt to use a public park if the bathroom was open? Or the city would be liable if someone can prove they contracted CV from a public restroom? The city should be very wary of absorbing more expenses given the decline in tax revenue. The only people using these porta-potties are the homeless – who prefer the trees/bushes instead.
To be fair. There is no market for recyclables. China used to take most of it off our hands. No more. Most of what you think is being recycled is actually going into the landfill. So it costs a lot more to get rid of the stuff these days. Pair this with inflation and you have the need to raise rates. We are really lucky to have a locally owned and admired company like Marborg managing our refuse, that is an absolute. Moving forward, the city will raise rates and fees where ever they can. They are broke, they spent your grand kids future on their salaries, pet project and of course, utter stupidity. Decades of mismanagement and weak leadership has put us in a terrible position to weather this storm. Get ready, this is only the beginning.
Many city parks still have open, operable restrooms. I don’t suppose they are cleaned more often than usual, but the one I went in was fine.
But many of the parks have open, operable restrooms. I have not surveyed them all, but I know of three city parks with functional restrooms.
I’m pretty sure the disposal fees are set by the County, which owns the landfill. Use some of your anger to drop a note to your County Supervisor.
I’m okay with the rate hike. Still seems reasonable to me.
Its interesting to note that trash collection in general is way down. with so many business not open, restaurants not open, they are hauling WAY less. In LA, it was so little that they allowed residential customers additional services allowing them to meet the trucks and throw things away after their can went in. The rate hike is just a polite way of passing on the bill the City has generated by not doing what they are paying Marborg to do.
Where I live the poor people don’t use trash service, they just dump all their crap in the street.
You must live near one of the FoodBank hand outs! Sure, the Food Bank service is needed now but we wish there’d be some follow-up and pick up the discards, including the cardboard boxes.
Those who are familiar with how Marborg cut down the eucalyptus trees on their property near the beach on the east side would not agree they are good stewards – (why is what should be desirable property given over to trash collection, t he Rescue Mission and the ex-Casa,? but that’s another question)
Those who are familiar with how Marborg cut down the eucalyptus trees on their property near the beach on the east side would not agree they are good stewards – (why is what should be desirable property given over to trash collection, t he Rescue Mission and the ex-Casa,? but that’s another question)
SPLASH — The problem with rolling a cat to the street is that the cat may have different ideas and is likely to scratch the hell out of you. Cats do NOT like being rolled around.
small amount of money SBA? Tell me how many consistent increases for trash recycling and water rates have we seen in the last couple years? The problem is not just one, they add up!
I fine most of the people commenting here smart and serious. No BS and no trolls. Refreshing.
As far as all these rate hikes, We are in a war, and an economic disaster.
It’s not just Marborg, but water and Cable all wanting rate hikes.
There are a great many out of work and are already having a difficult time paying there bills.
At least put these billing changes off till next year and give us some time to breath.
It’s worth every penny and I support the rate increase. Our landfill (Tajiguas) either just completed or is soon to complete construction of the finest integrated waste management facility on the planet. Instead of just burying our waste, the site will be equipped to digest the organic fraction of the waste stream, generate energy, separate recyclables out of the stream. It’s truly a state of the art facility and the envy of the solid waste industry. I think they offer tours – go check it out. Really amazing what they’re doing up there.
I’m not sure Edhat is the place to demand an audit……
Worth it – compared to the rates my parents pay in the Bay Area.
$4 per can. So 3 large cans of waste in front of the house each week. With the new rate increase, that’s $630 per year, about $12 per week or $4 per each can each week. Additionally, Marborg will (twice a year) do ordered, curb side junk pickups at no charge. But here’s the rub. Charges are mandatory and you have to pay. There are no alternatives. If you want to take your own trash to the dump? Too bad you cannot. (This is a good rule.) There is also no credit for the weeks that you have no trash or green waste. (Understandable for consistency and prevention of trash hording each week.) And there is a monopoly. 10 years ago Waste Management ran half the city. It was still segregated in to two monopolies, but never the less there was a perceived option. Overall, Marborg is a good steward and upstanding company in the community. This isn’t some corporate leach, but instead a local company that has been here for decades. They give back to the community and have always provided help to charitable organizations and more. Sanitation is an important element in any community and consistent and timely trash collection is a huge benefit for keeping public health and hygiene in check. There is no doubt that inching up rates each year is troublesome. Perhaps Marborg can find a plan that credits benefits to those who are low waste creators and offset this vs. those who have the cans overflowing in garbage each week.
Marborg is a great, well managed local company. They treat their “employees” correctly, pay them competitively and provide excellent service. They deserve double what they are asking. We certainly are going into a period of higher costs for goods and services across the board.
If you don’t like the raise , go somewhere its cheaper and the service will be as well.
These costs are apparently a part of an existing contractual obligation. This sort of complaint ignores that the deal is done. I do not think the city (especially Public Works) is well managed but get real, we can’t renege on a contract. The deal is to make a better one next time.
Honestly, if this small amount of money is going to make a difference in your life, you should consider finding another place to live that does cost as much or that better suits your income and your means. Santa Barbara is never going to be cheaper than it was last year, or even last week for that matter. Nor is your job going to magically double your salary to pay for all the impending cost increases we will face. From national inflation (groceries, healthcare, transportation, etc) to local instances like this, we are about to experience a storm that most of you are not prepared to weather. Its not hard to understand that we are headed into a very deep recession the likes of which Santa Barbara has never faced. Our city built a ridiculously shortsighted and stupid reliance on the backs of cheap labor and abundant tourism and infinite real estate appreciation. City leaders sold out our best land and our most precious resources to a small group of out of town corporate interests all for a small boost in tax revenue to cover their excesses spending and lavish employment contracts. They gave away your children’s future so that the city could keep spending. City Hall, like the bums who live in its shadows, has an addiction to spending your money for their own wants and desires. They are no different than the addicts on the street. They will lie, cheat and steal to get their fix and then be back for more in no time at all… —————————————————————————————————————————— Sure, we can open up for biz, but tourism is not going to come roaring back. It might trickle in a bit over the next year, but it’ll be more like pissing up a rope. Slowly wicking its way up the line while most puddles into a stinking cesspool…
Why can’t the city get a bid from Waste Management? This should be a yearly occurrence.
One huge conflation in this complaint by Ms or Mr Jameson is the use of the work “tax” to describe this cost. The charge is a fee. It is specifically for a service and directly related to the cost of that service. A tax is a non-specific fee assessed to pay for costs of government that are not necessarily pro-rata for each member of society. Any objection to paying the cost of this service is much the same as an objection to paying the cost of a meal in a restaurant. It is not government that is setting the charge but the private vendor.
You can be even angrier now, bigone. I live in rural Mississippi now and pay just under $75/year. That’s almost double what people “in town” pay. Oh, by the way our local country landfill is run by WMI just like when I lived in paradise on the beach and it’s run to very similar standards (it’s in the middle of a national forest as I assume Santa Barbara’s is so it’s under the same federal reg’s).
Yep, SBO, can’t argue with you on this one. Soon it will be only the wealthy and the poor living in California and Santa Barbara, and it’s alreday being seen. The middle class is history in most of this state and moving on elsewhere. Well, at least you can enjoy the nice weather for those who choose to stay.