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Date: March 9, 2026 Item: 6 <br />Presenter: Christine Lusian, City Clerk <br />Section: Consent Agenda <br /> <br />Title: City Code Update - Solid Waste - Ordinance 321 <br /> <br /> <br />1.Purpose: <br />Update the city’s waste hauler ordinance to align with state law. <br />2.Background: <br />Residents have raised questions about how the solid waste system works and how rules are <br />enforced. In response, staff reviewed the city’s solid waste ordinance (the primary authority that <br />guides city services and compliance), along with state law, policies, and contracts. Staff also <br />gathered resident and hauler feedback and reviewed service data to better understand the concerns. <br /> <br />Since 2025, city staff have been reviewing our ordinance to simplify the language, e nsure it <br />follows state law and county requirements, clarify the city’s role, and make sure residential pricing <br />supports waste reduction. In February, the City Council held a work session to review the current <br />regulations and discuss possible updates. Staff presented an overview of the city’s waste system, <br />the current ordinance, and feedback received. The discussion focused on clarifying licensing <br />language for waste haulers to improve transparency and ensure compliance with state <br />requirements for volume-based pricing (where customers pay based on the size of their garbage <br />cart). Council directed staff to move forward with draft ordinance changes, which are being <br />presented today. The proposed updates: <br /> <br />Clarify that the city does not approve garbage rates <br />Require clearer itemization of fees so customers understand billing components <br />Require residential service to use volume-based pricing (larger carts cost more than smaller <br />carts) <br />Establish minimum cart size options and meaningful price differences between sizes <br />Align local requirements with county reporting and waste-reduction goals <br /> <br />Residents and taxpayers are our primary customers and licensed haulers are key partners in <br />providing service. These updates are intended to make the rules clearer and easier to follow, <br />reduce confusion about the city’s role, improve how the rules work in practice, and allow haulers <br />flexibility while supporting shared environmental goals. The overall goal is a system that is clear, <br />workable, and supports waste reduction. <br />3.Cost: <br />Supplemental updates to the code, made in between full revisions (which occur every 10–15 <br />years), are billed at $22 per page. Newspaper publication costs $12.60 per column inch, so <br />publishing a summary is more cost-effective than publishing the complete ordinance. <br />4.Process: <br />February 24: Haulers received the proposed ordinance by mail and were invited to share feedback <br />March 9: Council will consider adopting the proposed updates. <br />AGENDA ITEM <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />31