Refuse rates board adopts amended 2026–2028 rate plan after protest tally falls well below threshold

San Francisco Refuse Rates Board members voted unanimously June 25 to adopt an amended three‑year refuse rate order for rate years 2026–2028 after the refuse rate administrator reported that written protests from property owners fell far short of the 50% threshold required under Proposition 218.

The vote followed a public hearing in which the city’s refuse rate administrator, Jay Liao of the Controller’s Office, presented the administrator’s revised recommendation — which reduced Recology’s initial first‑year increase request from 18.18% to 12.59% — summarized hundreds of Prop F objections and reported the tally of Prop 218 property‑owner protests. “Our proposal brings that first year down from 18.18% to 12.59 percent,” Liao said during the presentation.

Why it matters: Proposition 218 (referred to repeatedly as “Prop 2 18” in the hearing) allows property owners to file written protests that can block rate increases if a majority of property owners affected submit timely protests. The administrator reported that the city mailed notices to 198,663 residential property owners and that a simple majority would require 99,332 protests. The administrator’s tally — including mailed protests, in‑person submissions and other counts — did not approach that level, allowing the board to proceed with the amended rate order.

In the hearing, the refuse rate administrator described the office’s validation work and the changes that drove the recommended reductions. Liao said the administrator’s review included 59 formal information requests, 94 detailed schedules, a performance audit and third‑party accounting procedures. He described program funding that would remain in place, including weekly curbside collection and household hazardous waste collection, and new or enhanced programs such as free mattress and wood recycling and expanded outreach funding. He also said the board’s adopted cost controls and monitoring changes would…