Council hears complaints about multifamily trash-rate shift; asks staff to return with alternatives

Lompoc — A monthslong transition of multifamily solid‑waste billing that phases out per‑unit multifamily rates and shifts billing responsibility to property owners drew sharp public and council criticism at Tuesday’s meeting, prompting the council to ask staff to return with alternatives for possible action.

Robert Cross, the city’s financial services manager, reviewed a cost-of-service study and the city’s phased implementation that began with notices in April 2023 and council action in June 2023. Cross said the city’s intent is to bill multifamily complexes as commercial customers — by container size and collection frequency — to align bills with the actual cost of service. He said the move is intended to encourage more efficient, consolidated service (for example, one 450‑gallon container could be cheaper than five individual 95‑gallon containers).

Why it matters: Property owners and property managers at the meeting said they did not expect the change and that shifting the billing to owners violates preexisting lease arrangements and imposes costs that are difficult to absorb. Several landlords and council members said notices and public hearings occurred but that many…