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Community groups update council: ECHO reports 43 clients assisted in 2025 year‑to‑date; businesses raise dumpster fee concerns
Summary
During community forum, El Camino Homeless Organization reported housing and prevention numbers for the year and invited the public to a neighborhood meeting; a consultant representing businesses raised concerns about a $33.91 customer fee for removal of locked dumpsters when crews cannot pick them up.
At the community forum portion of the meeting, local nonprofit and business representatives gave updates to the City Council.
Mary Verdin, CEO of Verdin Marketing, presented a Gold MarCom award the agency received for the Visit Atascadero “All in Atascadero” campaign and thanked the city and Visit Atascadero partners for the collaborative work on multiple marketing campaigns.
Wendy Lewis, CEO of El Camino Homeless Organization (ECHO), told the council the nonprofit held a neighborhood meeting about adding a family wing and is scheduling a second meeting for March 13 from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at ECHO’s dining room. Lewis said ECHO completed a record year in 2024 and reported recent local outcomes: so far this year the organization has helped seven individuals or families with homeless‑prevention financial assistance and helped another 36 outreach clients or residents into housing, for a total of 43 housing outcomes year to date. Lewis said ECHO received a county‑administered fund that will help streamline local prevention assistance.
Local consultant Jeff Osland, representing several businesses on waste management, told the council some businesses received notice from the city’s contracted hauler that they would be charged $33.91 per dumpster when the truck cannot roll up and pick up a locked or caged dumpster. Osland said many businesses had installed locked dumpsters in recent years to prevent illegal dumping and that the new fee would add to the operating burden; he asked for a compromise or clearer administration of the charge. Council and staff said they had been notified and staff will follow up to investigate and clarify the policy.
Council and staff also noted volunteer and conservation events elsewhere in the meeting: the city manager reported more than 80 volunteers collected about 3,000 pounds of trash during a recent Earthshine creek cleanup, and zoo staff described a milkweed giveaway and planned butterfly garden to support monarch conservation.
