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Oceanside Approves Waste Management Rate Ceiling Increase to Accommodate Multi‑Index Adjustment
Summary
Council approved a resolution to increase solid-waste user rate ceilings and include Waste Management’s multi-index adjustment request for 2026; calculated adjustment exceeded the contract’s 5% cap, rolling approximately $940,000 into 2027.
Oceanside’s City Council approved a resolution on Nov. 19 to increase solid‑waste user‑rate ceilings so Waste Management’s multi‑index adjustment for calendar year 2026 can be applied. Ken Pru (Zero Waste Program Manager) said the 2026 multi‑index calculation produced a 7.2% adjustment; the contract caps the annual automatic adjustment at 5%, so the remaining balance (about $940,000) will roll forward for study during the 2027 cost review.
Ken Pru explained the multi‑index formula includes indices for consumer price index, fuel, vehicle maintenance, employment costs and disposal/processing changes. Waste Management sought an additional extraordinary increase for labor and disposal costs; staff recommended against a separate extraordinary increase because these costs are already considered within the multi‑index methodology.
Staff noted the rate changes have no direct fiscal impact to the city; Waste Management bills customers directly. During the hearing, residents asked about senior discounts, container cleanliness and compost/biodigester fuel uses; Waste Management representatives explained the compost stream creates mulch and compost for giveaways and that some commercial food‑waste processing produces a feedstock for anaerobic digesters (not directly injected into gas lines for the residential fleet). The council adopted the staff recommendation on a 5–0 vote.
