These procedures are established to reform and modernize the City’s process for setting residential refuse rates. The goal is to be more fair, transparent, and accountable as the City continues to pursue its Zero-Waste goals. Four principles govern the proceedings:
• Refuse service shall be cost-effective and meet established service standards and environmental goals.
• The refuse rate structure shall encourage rate stability and ensure rates are reasonable and fair.
• The process used to establish and monitor rates shall be transparent, accountable, and publicly accessible.
• The work of the Refuse Rate Board and the City Controller, who shall act as Refuse Rates Administrator, shall be conducted in line with high professional ethical standards.
See more details on the rate-setting process.
Refuse Rates Administrator Prepares the 2025 Rate-Setting Process
During this step, the Refuse Rates Administrator (The Controller’s Office) will release the rate-setting application materials and present to the Refuse Rate Board. The hearing will be held on September 30, 2024 from 1-4 p.m. in San Francisco City Hall room 400.
Recology Requests a Rate Change
Recology will request a change to refuse rates based on the costs of their operations, and will submit their request along with supporting evidence to the City by the January 3, 2025
Review by Controller’s Office, Rate Board, and Commissions
The Refuse Rates Administrator (The Controller’s Office) carefully reviews the requests submitted by Recology and holds workshops for the public to receive information about the rate-setting process. The Refuse Rate Board, Streets and Sanitation Commission, and Commission on the Environment will also hold public hearings. During this period Recology will also revise their application based on feedback and updated Rate Year 2024 4th quarter financial data.
Controller’s Office Recommends Their Own Rates
After the Controller’s Office reviews the request from Recology, they publish their own recommendations for rate changes that will then be heard by the Refuse Rate Board. The Refuse Rate Board is made up of the City Administrator, the General Manager of the Public Utilities Commission, and an appointed rate payer representative.
Refuse Rate Board Hearings
These hearings are to share information about the rate-setting process, for the Department of Public Works and Department of the Environment to share program priorities and goals, and for Recology to share rate change requests. Members of the public can participate by commenting at these hearings or by sending a written comment to the Controller’s Office (Refuse Rates Administrator).
New Refuse Rate Adopted
The public will have at least 45 days to file a formal state-level (Prop 218) protest of the recommended rates put forward by the Controller’s Office (Refuse Rates Administrator) and will also be able to provide feedback to the Refuse Rate Board. At the final hearing of the Refuse Rate Board, all protests will be counted. The Board may hold a final vote to adopt new refuse rates at that meeting.
Last updated September 3, 2024