Rio Dell — City council members on Tuesday directed staff to pursue full implementation of a universal solid-waste franchise model for Rio Dell and asked the city manager and consultants to return with concrete cost proposals from Recology and CSG Consultants.

The council’s direction came after a presentation from Kyle (city manager) and Kathleen Gallagher of CSG Consultants on state requirements under SB 1383 and on options for universal garbage, recycling and organics collection. Council members said they prefer moving forward with aligned services while neighboring jurisdictions roll out similar programs rather than delaying implementation.

The action is intended to update Rio Dell’s existing solid-waste franchise agreement, which expires on 2026-12-31, and to help the city comply with California’s SB 1383 organics and contamination-reduction requirements. Kathleen Gallagher told the council that SB 1383 includes mandatory requirements for universal collection, contamination monitoring and other reporting and that CalRecycle enforces waivers and related rules.

Council direction and next steps

Council discussion produced several explicit directions to staff rather than final ordinance changes. The council instructed staff to incorporate council preferences into the draft franchise agreement and to ask Recology for a formal cost proposal so the city can review resulting resident and business rates before adopting a contract.

Specific council preferences discussed and captured for follow-up included:
- Move forward with full implementation (Option A) so universal collection would begin when a new franchise starts (staff noted neighboring cities will begin services on 2026-07-01; staff proposed Rio Dell could commence universal collection on 2027-01-01 as the city’s current franchise expires at end of 2026).
- Include organics collection commingled with existing yard-waste carts (no requirement for bagging), per the plan discussed with the Humboldt Waste Management Authority (HWMA) and Recology.
- Provide two annual curbside bulky-item pickups available by scheduling with Recology (the council favored Option B for bulky items rather than retaining only an annual community drop-off event).
- Offer a 20-gallon garbage container option in addition to existing 32-, 64- and 96-gallon sizes.
- Pursue a low-income discount tied to PG&E CARE eligibility, with council interest in comparing a 5% versus 10% discount and asking staff to model both.

Council members asked staff to return with precise cost estimates and rate tables showing the effects of the proposed bundled rate (garbage, recycling and organics combined), the bulky-item options and the low-income discount before any final rate or ordinance action. Councilmembers stressed the importance of including customer-service performance standards in the franchise agreement and of checking Recology’s capacity to respond to scheduled bulky-item pickup requests.

Clarifying details provided at the meeting

- Staff said Rio Dell currently holds a five-year SB 1383 waiver that "expires in '27," and CalRecycle may offer an extension but is expected to be more stringent when granting waivers.
- Neighboring jurisdictions (Arcata, Fortuna, Eureka and Humboldt County) were listed as moving toward universal collection on 2026-07-01; staff noted economies of scale if Rio Dell aligns its schedule with neighbors.
- Recology’s proposed bulky-item curbside pickup in the draft franchise allows up to 2 cubic yards, typically one large appliance plus a limited number of additional bags (staff said the draft includes an allowance roughly equivalent to one large item plus up to six bags; staff will confirm exact limits in the final proposal).
- Low-income discount: other jurisdictions are using a 10% discount; staff will model 5% and 10% scenarios and show resulting impacts on the overall rate base.
- Franchise agreement expiration: 2026-12-31; staff indicated new service would be packaged into the franchise agreement exhibit with resulting rate tables for each container size.

What the council did not do

Council members did not adopt an ordinance, amend city code, set final rates or formally increase the franchise fee at Tuesday’s meeting. Instead the council provided direction to staff to incorporate the council’s preferences into the draft franchise agreement, request detailed cost proposals from Recology, and return with a comprehensive package (draft contract, Exhibit A cost proposal and proposed new rates) for council review and formal action.

Why this matters

The city’s direction advances Rio Dell’s planning for SB 1383 compliance and shifts how waste and organics would be collected and billed. Staff and consultants emphasized the change is intended to reduce landfill organics, reduce illegal dumping through easier bulky-item collection, and leverage shared costs across Humboldt County jurisdictions. Council members repeatedly asked that staff present transparent rate impacts and performance standards before any final vote.

Ending note

Staff said they will integrate council feedback into the draft franchise agreement and return with Recology’s cost proposal and proposed rates for council review at a future meeting.