Los Osos residents will see an increase on their garbage bills.
The temporary 97% rate hike will go into effect starting April 1.
At the San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors meeting on Tuesday, residents were able to voice their concerns. It was also the last day they could submit a written protest against the increase.
If a majority of residents protested, the board would not be able to implement the rate hike. However, after tabulating all of the protests received by the board, the number came out to 1,158, which was not enough to constitute a majority. A majority would have been about 2,700.
The Board of Supervisors then voted to adopt the trash service increase.
The current rate for a 32-gallon bin is $25.32. That will now increase to $49.68 and a 96-gallon bin will go from $41 to $81.
Mission Country Disposal (MCD) said the rate hike was necessary to cover the increased cost of doing business.
In 2021, MCD proposed a 45.93% increase for Los Osos customers. A year later, that was negotiated down to 41.87%. But because the implementation of that increase was delayed, MCD said it needed to temporarily raise rates by 97% to make up for money lost during the delay.
The 97% increase will be in effect until January 1, 2024, when the overall rate increase will adjust to about 50%. That will drop the cost of a 32-gallon bin down to $38.41.
