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Council approves 4.63% solid-waste rate increase and Athens Services contract amendment
Summary
After a Proposition 218 hearing, the Redondo Beach City Council found an absence of majority protest and adopted a 4.63% annual solid-waste rate adjustment for FY 2026–27 and approved a second amendment to the contract with Athens Services to extend service and implement three-stream bundled service by July 1, 2026.
The Redondo Beach City Council on May 20 closed a Proposition 218 hearing and approved a 4.63% increase in solid-waste rates for fiscal year 2026–27, and authorized a second amendment to the city's contract with Arklea Enterprises, Inc., dba Athens Services.
Staff told the council the rate adjustment is calculated by a published index across five industry cost components (disposal, labor, equipment, fuel and other costs) and reflects disposal changes now that waste-to-energy is no longer an option in Southern California. For a single-family household, staff estimated the monthly charge would rise from $30.77 to $32.09 in FY 2026–27. Multifamily and commercial customers would see the same percentage adjustment applied to their class-specific rates. The proposed amendment also requires all city customers to receive three-stream bundled service by July 1, 2026.
City staff said they mailed notices to property owners and customers as required by Proposition 218 and posted the revenue methodology and proposed rates on the city website. The city clerk reported four written protests on file and none received during the hearing, a total substantially below the threshold that would constitute a majority protest.
Council member Waller moved to adopt the resolution and approve the contract amendment; the motion passed unanimously. Council also approved administrative direction to work with Athens Services to implement contract changes and to collect residential charges on the Los Angeles County tax roll where appropriate.
Public comment during the hearing focused on notice sufficiency and the scope of the revenue study; an online participant, Mark Nelson, said some property owners who pay taxes through financial institutions did not receive mailed notices and asked where the full revenue-requirement study could be inspected. Staff replied the full materials were placed with the city clerk and on the city website and reiterated that only protests received prior to closing the hearing could be tallied.
The council’s action adopts the FY 2026–27 adjustment and authorizes staff to implement the bundling and contract changes with Athens Services; further implementation steps and public information were scheduled as part of the city’s operational coordination with the contractor.
