Mentone City Council Approves Adjusted Waste Collection Rates, Affecting Household Bills from January 2027

Mentone City Council voted 5-2 on July 7 to adopt the revised solid waste fee schedule for fiscal year 2027, a measure that directly resets the monthly residential base rate from twenty-five dollars to twenty-eight dollars for all single-family accounts.

The vote follows the release of the city's preliminary budget documents in late June, which projected a one-point-eight million dollar shortfall in the waste division operating fund after fuel and labor contract increases took effect in April. Council members cited those figures during the meeting as the immediate trigger for the rate adjustment.

Effects on Household Services

Under the new schedule, residents on the standard once-weekly pickup route will pay the higher base rate beginning with statements mailed in December, covering service from January onward. Multi-unit buildings using shared dumpsters face a separate per-unit calculation that adds one dollar and fifty cents monthly, applied at the same January start date. The legislation keeps the existing bulk-item pickup allowance of four items per year without change.

Budget papers show the increase is projected to generate eight hundred forty thousand dollars in additional revenue during the first full year, allocated specifically to cover contracted hauler payments and fleet maintenance at the central yard on Elm Street. City staff stated that no further rate reviews are scheduled before the 2028 budget cycle.

Next Steps for Implementation

The ordinance requires the public works department to mail updated rate cards to all 12,400 residential accounts by November 15. Collection routes and bin sizes remain unchanged, and residents who prepay annual fees can lock in the current rate through December 31. The finance office will begin processing the revised amounts with the January utility statements.