Costa Mesa Sanitary District weighs rate increases

Paul Clinton

Pointing to the increasing cost of doing business, the Costa Mesa

Sanitary District has proposed moderate increases to sewage and

trash-collection rates.

The five-member board will consider the hikes at a 6 p.m. meeting

today.

Board members are set to consider a 4.88% rise in the rate for

collecting trash and a 5% increase for collecting “liquid waste” that

flows into sewer collection lines.

Rob Hamers, the district’s manager, has proposed raising the trash

rate from $184.62 to $193.64 per year for single-family homes. The

sewer rates would bump up from $24.17 to $25.38 per year.

The new rates would go into effect for the 2002-03 fiscal year,

which began July 1.

Hamers decided to propose the new rates, which would be

retroactive to July 1, when he received the May Consumer Price Index

report that measures increases in inflation, he said.

“We’re only raising the rates to cover the costs of what we

project to be the expenses,” Hamers said.

Statistics on the Department of Labor’s Web site show the CPI for

May changed about 1.2% when compared with the same month in 2001.

Hamers also said the hikes were a result of the district expanding

“our level of service in some areas.” He added that he anticipates

higher expenses for the collection of needles and syringes, as well

as more demand for hazardous waste pickups.

The sanitary district’s meeting today will be held in the Costa

Mesa City Council chambers at City Hall, 77 Fair Drive.

* PAUL CLINTON covers the environment and politics. He may be

reached at (949) 764-4330 or by e-mail at paul.clinton@- latimes.com.