Committee approves development of advance-payment policy for bulk trash pickup; staff to return with implementation details

The Brentwood Ways and Means Committee voted unanimously to direct staff to develop a policy change requiring payment at the time residents request bulk trash pickup, and to integrate that workflow with the city's myGov portal where feasible.

Committee members were told the city had an accounts-receivable balance tied to bulk-pickup and related charges that grew to about $169,000 by the end of 2024; staff described rising unpaid bills as the key problem the policy change is intended to address. The committee approved a motion asking staff to draft a policy and implementation plan consistent with the meeting memo and to coordinate with the Public Works Committee.

Why it matters: staff said the current practice bills residents after pickup. That creates follow-up work and growing receivables where some residents do not pay. Requiring payment when the pickup is scheduled would limit new unpaid balances and let the city issue refunds if an item is taken by someone else before pickup or a circumstance changes.

Key points from the meeting: - Staff reported an outstanding receivable of about $169,000 for bulk and related charges at the end of 2024 and said that balance rose roughly $37,000 during the year; approximately $15,000 of that total related to planning-and-development-related housing cleanups. Staff presented myGov as a way to take payment when a resident schedules pickup and to permit refunds through that system if necessary. - Committee members asked staff to design reasonable processes for residents who lack internet access (staff said the front desk would continue to accept calls and payments), and to include reconciliation steps so Public Works can "true up" picked items against the resident's paid request, enabling automated refunds when an item is removed before pickup. - The committee discussed collection options for older unpaid balances and asked staff to look at stepped-billing and other collection mechanisms; staff said they would not write off the current outstanding amount and would pursue collection.

The motion to develop a policy change and implementation plan passed on a roll-call vote the committee recorded as five to zero. The committee asked staff to bring an implementation plan and any required policy language back for further committee review and to coordinate with Public Works on the operational details.