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City council approves increase in residential refuse removal rates
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Posted by editor Wed Nov 30, -0001 00:00:00 PST
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0 responses 1 comment During a public hearing held at the Aug. 6 Tehachapi City Council meeting, an ordinance was approved authorizing a 98 cent increase in residential refuse fees for Benz Sanitation customers located within the city limits.

Commercial customers operating within the city are likely to receive notice of another public hearing proposing a $5.76 increase for local business owners. Paul Benz, Jr. addressed the council claiming that the proposed commercial fee increase was overlooked in the notification process initiated during the May 7 regular council meeting.

Benz, Jr. said, “The original request assured that the burden would be shared equitably among residential and commercial customers.”

City Manager Jason Caudle said that the motion approved at the May 7 meeting only stipulated the residential increase and expressed surprise that Benz Sanitation was expecting an accompanying commercial fee increase.

“Direct staff to notify every household that the fuel surcharge is forthcoming and that they have the right to agree or not agree. That the rate increase would be 98 cents and that everyone knows that it will be a notice in your bill. If you would like to state your opposition to that it would have to be in writing,” read the motion made by Councilman Phil Smith at the May 7 meeting.

Benz Sanitation later provided the Tehachapi News with documentation  presented at the April 2 council meeting outlining the methodology utilized to reach the 98 cent increase and also referencing the commercial increase. Benz said all the council members were presented with individual packets containing the same information.

Benz, Jr. also said his company never received a copy of the notification of the Aug. 7 public hearing specifying the details of the increase and only discovered what they consider to be an omission when an employee received the notice inside their city generated utility bill. At that point, it was too late to add on the commercial fee.

The increase was initially presented as a fuel surcharge at the May 7 meeting, however Benz, Jr. asserts that the increase is not just related to rising fuel costs.
In 2004, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) imposed regulations requiring diesel-fueled waste collection vehicles to reduce emissions of particulate matter by retrofitting their fleet of trucks at a cost as high as $50,000 per vehicle. As a direct result of the new CARB regulations, Benz Jr. said Tehachapi’s air quality has benefitted from the recent replacement of six new trucks, at a cost of more than $225,000 each.

“This is our hometown. We want it to look good,” said Benz, Jr. “We are only required to retrofit our fleet, but we went up and beyond what we had to do. This is nothing new [the CARB regulations] it’s almost four years old.” 

Benz Jr. said that more than a year ago, the cities of Ridgecrest and California City approved fee increases similar to what they are seeking in the City of Tehachapi.
“We have been actively seeking a fuel relief for three years. This CARB thing is at least three years old,” said Benz, Jr.

Benz employee, Jeri Stephens also addressed the council, requesting a list of the city’s commercial customers, including business names and a schedule of the services the city is currently billing them for.

Stephens said that after discovering a discrepancy of approximately $1,000 in the city’s accounting of services rendered, Benz has attempted to reconcile their accounts without access to specific customer information. She also said they were told it would cost $500 to generate a report containing that information, some of which the city deems confidential. The city’s attorney indicated that their request should be easily accommodated.

“We just want to get our accounts in line with what the city is billing for,” said Stephens. “We want to make sure we’re not over or undercharging the public.”

Fire and water: Give some...take some more

Fire...A consent agenda item approving the donation of fire equipment, including the city’s 1989 engine, was removed at the request of Tehachapi resident and long-time volunteer firefighter and licensed pyrotechnician, Carl Gehricke.

“Rather than give everything away, I request that the city reinstate the Tehachapi Volunteer Fire Department, an 80-year tradition,” said Gehricke.

Council and audience members debated the liability attached to a volunteer unit as well as the pros and cons of creating any potential roadblocks to securing second or even a third county fire station in the area.

City Manager Jason Caudle could not estimate a dollar value for the equipment, including turn-outs and other still useable items that the council ultimately voted to donate to Bakersfield College’s fire services training facility.

Councilman Phil Smith cast the only opposing vote.

“I have a problem giving up such a given. If you had a group of trained volunteers ready and willing...” Smith trailed off topic, expressing hesitation at relinquishing the last vestiges of the city fire department’s equipment.
Mayor Ed Grimes thanked Gehricke for his professionalism, service and dedication to the city, before the council voted 4-1, to give the equipment to Bakersfield College.

Water...A nexus study of the city’s projected water and sewer need over the next ten years was the justification for a $4,000 water connection fee increase approved unanimously by the city council on Aug. 6.

The new $6,780 connection fee will be charged to all new single family dwellings to offset costs for nearly $8 million worth of improvements slated for  the city’s wells, storage facilities and sewage and water treatment plants.

“We don’t need to do any of these things if there’s no development,” speculated Boyle Engineering representative Jay Schlosser, whose services are retained by the City of Tehachapi.

Schlosser went on to describe the city’s various water projects, hitting a nerve with the potential need for future nitrate treatment. According to Schlosser, at least one city well was shut down last year for high nitrate levels and at least one other must be “blended” with water from other wells to meet state health and safety requirements.

As the nitrate and water quality issue quickly ignited debate among the council and audience members, Assistant City Manager Greg Garrett firmly squelched the rising alarm.

“This is nothing new. The city’s water quality is tested regularly and it falls well within state regulations,” said Garrett.

Garrett also provided the following comparison to the connection fees imposed in surrounding communities:

Golden Hills — $7,200
Stallion Springs — $7,950
Bear Valley — $7,364

Councilman Phil Smith said new growth should support the projected $8 million in water infrastructure improvements, “Rather than having existing homeowners pay for all that.”

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Comment From: sol2ride

Why does every citizen have to pay for benz operating costs. We the people need help from high fuel costs too who do we take money from to make our ends meet?