Below are the basics about the upcoming hearing on Proposed Increases to Solid Waste Service Rates:

• Public hearing will occur during the scheduled City Council Meeting on September 1, 2022 at 5:30 pm.
• Hearing notices were mailed to all property/record owners and tenants that receive solid waste and recycling services.
• Link to see the notice package in both English and Spanish.
• The proposed rate increases for Solid Waste Services are necessary for PSDS to provide mandatory organic waste collection services pursuant to regulations implementing Senate Bill 1383 (Chapter 395, Statutes of 2016).  The proposed rates are calculated to recover the costs of providing weekly organic waste collection services, outreach, education, monitoring, reporting and container labeling to comply with the SB 1383 regulations, and to proportionately allocate those costs on a parcel basis among various customer classes. 
• The proposed rates provide for the removal of the Extraordinary Rate Adjustment that is in effect for the period January 1, 2022 through June 30, 2022 AND for the 50% reduction of the 2021 Rate Adjustment in effect for the same January 1, 2022 through June 30, 2022 period.
• The proposed maximum rates for Solid Waste Services shall be adjusted annually to account for inflation and increases in disposal fees.  Beginning July 1, 2023, and each July 1 thereafter, through and including July 1, 2026, the disposal component and service component may be adjusted based on inflationary/fee changes below multiplied by the component’s assigned percentage weighting as specified in the franchise agreement, to calculate the rate change.  
• Palm Springs Disposal Services (PSDS) is the authorized waste hauler for the City of Palm Springs. The City entered into an exclusive Franchise Agreement with them in 2013 to provide waste and recycling collection services for the City.

This website contains answers to some questions you may have about the rate adjustments.

PSDS provided a comprehensive table of rate adjustments in the notice. To determine how the rate adjustment may affect your bill, you will need to:

1) Look at a current bill to determine your current services (Residential Economy Service is being renamed "Basic Curbside Service" effective 10/1/22.)

2) Find that service listed in the table - Residential charges, Commercial Charges, and Industrial charges are each grouped.

3) You can see how your rate will change by looking across the columns to find your "Rate Effective 1/1/22," "Rate Effective 7/1/22," and "Proposed Rate Effective 10/1/22." Below are a few examples. 

The proposed rate increases for Solid Waste Services are necessary for PSDS to provide mandatory organic waste collection services pursuant to regulations implementing Senate Bill 1383 (Chapter 395, Statutes of 2016).  The proposed rates are calculated to recover the costs of providing weekly organic waste collection services, outreach, education, monitoring, reporting and container labeling to comply with the SB 1383 regulations, and to proportionately allocate those costs on a parcel basis among various customer classes. 

For more information on Senate Bill 1383, please visit CalRecycle at: California’s Short-Lived Climate Pollutant Reduction Strategy - CalRecycle Home Page

Attachment A of the notice includes rates for each service that Palm Springs Disposal Services provides. There is a different rate listed for Individually Billed accounts and Master Billed accounts for each service. Master Billed accounts are typically when a single account has multiple dwelling units associated with it that receive the same service, such as a condominium complex that uses individual carts to service each unit. In those cases, the Master Billing rate is typically applied per unit.  

The rates in the table are per rate payer, so for a Master Billed account this is likely the rate per unit in a complex. To determine the overall impact of the rate adjustments on a Master Billed Account, multiply the number of individually served units by the rates in the Mater Billing Line of the table for the type of service that applies to your account. 

For example, if you have a 4-unit complex with Economy Service (being renamed "Basic Curbside Service" effective 10/1/22), your current monthly rate for each rate payer should be $26.14, with a total monthly bill of $104.56. This will decrease to $25.65 per unit, with a total bill of $102.60, if the rate adjustments are passed.

If you would like to protest the Proposed Increases to Solid Waste Service Rates, you must do so in writing. Only one protest will be counted per address. Any written protest must:

(1) state that the identified property owner or tenant is in opposition to the proposed rate increases;

(2) provide the location of the identified parcel (by assessor’s parcel number or street address); and

(3) include the name and signature of the property owner or tenant submitting the protest.

Written protests may be submitted by mail or dropped off in person, and the envelope should be addressed as follows: 

City of Palm Springs

City Clerk’s Office

Attn: Public Hearing on Rate Increases

3200 E. Tahquitz Canyon Way

Palm Springs, CA 92262

All written protests must be received by the end of the public comment period of the Public Hearing on September 1, 2022. Please provide sufficient time for it to arrive prior to the close of the public comment portion of the public hearing if submitting by mail.

Any protest submitted via e-mail or other electronic means will not be accepted.

If the person submitting the written protest is the owner of record but was not shown on Riverside County’s last equalized assessment roll as the property owner, that person must provide written evidence that the person is the property owner. 

Property owners can contact PSDS directly if they want to know more about their current services and rates as well as potential rate impacts. Please call them at 760-327-1351. 

Property owners may contact City staff with questions about the rate adjustments by sending an email to recycling@palmspringsca.gov or by calling 760-323-8248. 

Questions about the public hearing process or requests to make a comment at the September 1, 2022 Council meeting should be directed to the City Clerk at cityclerk@palmspringsca.gov or (760) 323-8204.