Cathedral City council approves modest solid-waste rate increase; residential bill to rise $1.63/month

The Cathedral City City Council voted unanimously May 28 to approve the 2025–2026 rate increase for solid-waste, recycling and roll‑off collection services under the city’s franchise agreement with Virtek (Trails/Vertec/Bertec referenced in staff materials).

Deanna Pressgrove, the city’s environmental conservation manager, told the council the franchise agreement allows an annual CPI‑based rate request and that the CPI adjustment for calendar year 2024–2025 is 4.43 percent. She also reported that Riverside County’s per‑ton disposal fee at county landfills will rise from $64.48 to $67.33 per ton effective July 1, 2025.

Pressgrove said the average residential customer, whose charges appear on the property‑tax bill, would see a $1.63 monthly increase (about $19.56 annually), raising the projected monthly charge to $32.43 on the 2026 tax roll. For commercial customers, she offered an example: a three‑yard container serviced once weekly would increase by $9.46 per month, effective July 1, 2025.

The rate package funds weekly residential collection (96‑gallon refuse, recycling and organics carts), free extra recycling/organics carts, bulky‑item pickup (4 items per week), multifamily and commercial educational programs, on‑site audits for commercial properties, a water‑smart landscaping grant, monthly shredding events and other community services. Pressgrove said the city receives a share of the CPI adjustment and that the rate increase is paid by the customers, not the city’s general fund.

Pressgrove told the council she had received three written protests from residential customers and none from commercial accounts; the public comment period produced no oral protests at the hearing. Councilmember Gutierrez moved and Councilmember Lamb seconded the motion to approve the increase and the resolution to add the residential charges to the county tax roll; the council voted unanimously.

Councilmembers praised the franchise hauler for service quality and requested additional outreach materials for gated and multifamily communities about available conversion and grant programs. Staff said multifamily communities qualify for up to $1,000 per participating residence and up to $20,000 per community for landscape conversions in eligible areas.

The council approved the rate increase and the required resolution to place the residential charge on the county property‑tax roll. The rate adjustments will take effect July 1, 2025 for direct‑billed commercial accounts and appear on residential property‑tax bills for calendar year 2026.