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After public hearing, council authorizes liens for delinquent refuse/recycling accounts
Summary
EDCO and city staff reported a reduction in delinquent refuse/recycling accounts since January; the council held a public hearing and unanimously authorized placing liens on delinquent residential properties to recover unpaid fees.
The El Cajon City Council on May 13 held a public hearing and authorized staff to record liens on properties with unpaid refuse and recycling charges collected by EDCO under the city's franchise agreement.
EDCO staff, including CEO Steve South and General Manager Carl Sherbaum, joined Cindy Horn (director of revenue management) and city staff to answer council questions about the lien process and collection efforts. City staff said the lien program began in 2021 under the current franchise agreement with EDCO and that outreach has reduced delinquencies from more than 1,000 accounts in early 2025 to roughly 149 at the time of the staff report.
Nut graf: The council confirmed the city's use of property liens to recover unpaid residential refuse and recycling bills where customers have not paid and do not qualify for exemptions; council members emphasized that service is not suspended for delinquent accounts and that commercial accounts are handled separately and are generally current.
Details from the hearing
- EDCO said it pursues delinquent accounts through mailings, invoices, automated calls and personal calls. Cindy Horn said commercial accounts are actively pursued by a dedicated collection crew and that commercial delinquencies are rare.
- Staff confirmed that liens are recorded on the property tax roll and that once an account is paid the lien is removed. The council discussed that some property owners repeatedly allow accounts to go delinquent and then pay via property tax payments when they occur.
- City staff recommended adopting the resolution confirming liens on 149 accounts (staff noted the number continued to change as payments arrived after report publication) with an approximate total value of $46,000 including fees.
Action taken
The council closed the public hearing and adopted the resolution confirming lien placements; the motion carried unanimously.
Context and effect
Under the city's franchise agreement with EDCO, unpaid residential refuse charges may be collected via liens recorded against the property; the collected amounts are remitted to EDCO. City staff said service is not terminated for delinquent accounts while the lien process is used to secure payment.
