CLEARLAKE, Calif. – The Clearlake City Council is set to hold a second and final reading next week of an ordinance that will require residents and business owners to have garbage service, which city leaders believe will make the city healthier and alleviate rampant illegal dumping.

The universal garbage service ordinance was passed on its first reading April 14 with a 4-0 vote after an hour-long discussion that included input from several community members and questions from council members.

The Lakeport City Council approved universal – or mandatory – garbage service late in 2003, and while the matter has been investigated at the county level, it is still not in effect in the unincorporated county or, as of yet, in Clearlake.

Clearlake City Manager Greg Folsom told the council that the requirement for universal garbage service is commonplace across other jurisdictions around California.

At the April 14 discussion (which starts at the 38:05 minute mark in the video above), several members of the volunteer group Citizens Caring for Clearlake – formed to address illegal dumping in and around the city – were on hand, wearing their orange safety vests.

Referring to that group, Folsom said they would confirm that illegal dumping “is just out of control in Clearlake,” adding that the lack of universal garbage collection is a major contributor to that situation.

An ad hoc committee appointed by the city council came up with the recommended ordinance, which would only offer exemptions for properties that do not consume or produce food, have no waste of any kind and aren't hooked up to other utilities. Vacation homes or rentals wouldn't be exempt, and neighbors would not be able to share services, Folsom said.

Folsom said the universal service wouldn't be implemented until next year, as the city's franchisee – Clearlake Waste Solutions – would have work to do to prepare, including identifying new properties to be served, securing funding, ordering new trucks and cans, and beginning an outreach program.

Clearlake Waste Solutions' current franchise agreement with the city has 13 years remaining on it, it was reported during the meeting. Folsom said a new franchise agreement would be forthcoming once the city and the company complete negotiations with relation to the universal service.

Folsom said the city expects to receive additional franchise fees of approximately $40,000 per year based on revenue to be generated by the additional customer base.

He said property owners, not renters, will be billed, so it's hoped that the number of delinquent accounts actually will be low, as the city will become responsible to collect delinquent accounts.

It also was explained that liens would be placed on properties annually if the owners failed to pay for the service.

Clearlake Waste Solutions has seen a low overall delinquency rate, with company representative Bruce McCracken telling the council during the meeting that the delinquency rate in the city is under 2 percent of the company's gross income.

During the meeting, city staff explained that it was estimated that 2,200 customers were to be added, but that number could range even higher, to 3,000 new customers.

Ten community members spoke about the proposal, with the majority voicing support for it, but others complaining about already receiving high garbage bills, questioning if it really will stop illegal dumping and who will repair roads damaged by garbage trucks, and raising the issue of affordability for low-income residents and suggesting having the ability to opt out.

Neickol Cook, one of the leaders of Citizens Caring for Clearlake, said she doesn't think universal garbage service will stop people from illegally dumping, explaining that based on her experience she believes a few people are responsible for the city's dumping problem.

Chuck Leonard, a retired councilman, offered his support. “We've needed this for a long time and it's not a new process.”

During the council deliberations, McCracken told the council that service costs for garbage and recyclables collection in the city currently average between $15 and $20 a month per customer.

Councilman Bruno Sabatier asked about giving breaks to vacation homes, and collecting less often. McCracken said state law requires garbage to be removed every seven days. He said his company also offers free pickup of bulk items – like refrigerators or sofas – twice a year.

Vice Mayor Gina Fortino Dickson, who sat on the ad hoc committee that recommended the universal garbage service, said that implementing the service isn't going to correct what's wrong out there now. “What we're doing now is going to affect the future,” and prevent problems from compounding, she said.

Mayor Russell Perdock explained during the discussion, “What we're trying to do is become a healthy city and to become a healthy city we need to become a cleaner city.”

In response to questions from Councilwoman Joyce Overton, city Finance Director Chris Becnel went over the analysis behind revenue projections.

In assessing the number of properties that would be required to be part of the program, Becnel said the total number of properties with some kind of improvement in the city limits numbered 7,700. Of those, 3,200 didn't have garbage service, and 1,000 of those had improvements that were not residences, meaning they did not need to be included.

That brings the number of new properties to be added to 2,200, said Becnel. In addition, there are 800 other properties listed as current, nonpaying customers that could end up being added.

In estimating the $40,000 in new revenue to the city under the universal garbage service, Becnel said he was conservative and did not include those 800 properties.

Becnel said he has no reason to believe that the bad debt ratio would increase significantly and it is even possible it could go down.
                         
He said Clearlake Waste Solutions is required to try to collect unpaid debts. If the company can't do it, the city will be obligated to do so, he said, adding it would be added to the property tax bill.

Becnel said the company's estimated 2 percent bad debt number is not at all unusual. He said other cities may or may not be comparable, adding that they recognize Clearlake “has some unusual characteristics that other cities don't have.” Becnel added that the city was impressed that the bad debt number was so low.

Fortino Dickson said she didn't anticipate the ordinance would result in immediate changes, but that it would change community culture over time.

Sabatier moved to approve the first reading, with Fortino Dickson seconding and the council voting 4-0.

The ordinance's second and final reading is anticipated to be on the April 28 council agenda.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.