Fairfax Approves 10 Percent Garbage Rate Increase

After a nearly two-hour debate last night, the Fairfax Town Council approved a 10 percent increase in garbage rates for Marin Sanitary Service (MSS). The increase, though, was not as high as the requested increase from MSS nor as high as the recommended increase by the independent rate reviewer Hilton Farnkopf and Hobson.

“I’m not sure why we’re not trying to make this business partner of ours, who we rely on, why we’re not trying to make them whole, when we know they’ve been operating at a deficit,” said Council Member Lew Tremaine, who wanted to approve the recommended higher increase.

The council also had an extensive discussion about the contract with MSS at its March 2 meeting when Hilton Farnkopf and Hobson presented their rate review.

According to the review, MSS has been losing money on Fairfax service for a number of years. In addition, MSS has not made a profit in five years. The review recommended a 25.96 percent increase in order to meet MSS’s costs in Fairfax. MSS, however, proposed a 24.23 percent increase to the town.

Town staff recommended the council approve a 10 percent increase, instead. In addition, a subcommittee (made up of Mayor Larry Bragman and Council Member Pam Hartwell-Herrero) is in the process of reviewing the contract with MSS, which is set to expire next year.

The contract has been under negotiation for a number of years, however, since MSS took it over from Fairfax Refuse.

“It’s been now seven years, 29 meetings, three town managers, and we have yet to even come close to a new contract,” said Patty Garbarino of MSS, who was frustrated with the town, and urged the council to approve the proposed 24.23 percent increase instead of the staff-recommended 10 percent increase. “You’re crippling our sustainability and our ability to get you to zero waste.”

The council approved a 3.18 percent increase last year, when a 17.1 percent increase was recommended by Hilton Farnkopf and Hobson, and a 20 percent increase the year before that. Before that, the town had no rate increases in six years.

San Anselmo is also considering a 27.4 percent increase this year, after implementing an 18 percent increase last year. In San Anselmo, a 31.48 percent increase was recommended by the rate review this year. The new increase would bring food composting to the town (already available in Fairfax) and meet the costs for MSS in San Anselmo.

A 32-gallon can is currently $27.76 monthly in San Anselmo and $22.53 on the flats in Fairfax and $26.31 in the hills. In San Rafael, that 32-gallon can is $27.67; in Larkspur it is $27.97; in Ross it is $26.90, and in the unincorporated county areas it is $33.10.

The approved 10 percent increase in Fairfax will increase the flat rate to $24.78 for a 32-gallon can and $28.94 for the hills.

The issue for the Fairfax Town Council in approving a larger increase was that they hoped to approve a new contract with MSS that would encourage residents to move towards zero-waste – which might mean paying more for less garbage.

Hartwell-Herrero said this 10 percent increase was “in good faith,” but that a new look was needed at the rate structure and if the full increase was given right now then they wouldn’t be able to look closer at rates.

In addition, Bragman said he wanted to see the amount of revenue generated by recycling as part of the rate review process. Not having that information “makes decision-making very difficult.”

Garbarino said she might be willing to consider supplying that information, which would involve calculations for MSS to separate out Fairfax’s recycling collected, “in return of an act of good faith in negotiating the contract.”

Nearly everyone spoke highly of the service provided by MSS. Tremaine even argued that MSS revamped the garbage industry by inventing dual sort and curbside recycling. “We are pushing Marin Sanitary to once again revamp the garbage industry again,” he said.

Why then, Tremaine argued, would the town not pay the full costs to the garbage hauler. If the town doesn’t pay its costs, then MSS won’t be able to stay in Fairfax, he said.

“They are so much better than what we had. Who the hell are we kidding?” said Tremaine. “My god, we do not need to be treating them this way.”