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BACKGROUND <br />The franchise agreement outlines the processes for annual rate adjustments which <br />includes an Index -based rate adjustment and a Cost -based Rate Adjustment. July 1, <br />2022, begins rate period five which incorporates an Index -based Rate Adjustment. As <br />stipulated in the franchise agreement, all rates are set by the City Council. Additionally, <br />this year, SB 1383 compliance related costs have been agreed upon by the City and <br />PGS in the recently amended franchise agreement that have been incorporated into the <br />garbage rates for rate period five. <br />DISCUSSION <br />As noted, rate period five stipulates the use of an Index -based Rate Adjustment. PGS <br />submitted an application for a rate adjustment on April 1, 2022, which included as part <br />of the application an additional cost for a portion (30 percent) of a fork truck. The <br />application was reviewed by City staff and the City's consulting firm HF&H Consultants. <br />The calculation of the Index -based Rate adjustment was correct and the cost for the <br />fork truck was deemed an appropriate expense and therefore included in the rate. <br />HF&H Consultants provided a letter of findings which notes that the application <br />indicates that a 5.6 percent indexed rate increase will be required (Attachment 1). <br />Additionally, there are related costs to SB 1383 to be included in rate period five. These <br />costs are not optional as they are mandated by state law and the costs are to be passed <br />onto the ratepayers. One of the requirements that was not included in the 2018 <br />franchise agreement was SB 1383 route reviews and contamination monitoring of <br />residential and commercial customers to determine if accounts are subscribed to the <br />required service as well as properly sorting waste into the correct containers. The City <br />and PGS have agreed to an additional 200 hours of staff time annually at an additional <br />cost of $37,178 to conduct the required services which equates to a .20 percent <br />increase to the rates, bringing the total rate increase for rate period five to 5.8 percent. <br />Table 1 shows the increase to the residential rates. All residents have three carts: solid <br />waste, mixed recycling, and yard/food waste. Residential rates are bundled, and the <br />monthly price is set based on the size of the solid waste cart. <br />Table 1 <br />Cart Size <br />35 gallon cart <br />96 gallon cart <br />Current Rate <br />27.58 <br />48.12 <br />Rate increase of 5.8% <br />$ 29.18 <br />$ 50.91 <br />Table 2 shows examples of increases to commercial rates for solid waste. Commercial <br />customers are charged for each waste stream separately and the impact of the rate <br />increases will vary depending on the quantity and frequency of service. <br />Page 2 of 7 <br />