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CC - CONSENT ITEM: Adoption of a Resolution (1) Approving the Engineer’s Report for the Solid Waste Rate Study; (2) Declaring the Intention to Order the Solid Waste Fees for Fiscal Years 2026-27 through 2030-31, and (3) Setting the Date, Time and Place for Public Hearing.
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Meeting Date: April 13, 2026
Contact/Dept.: Sean Singletary, Public Works Department, EPO Division
Phone Number: (310) 253-6457
Fiscal Impact: Yes [ ] No [X] General Fund: Yes [ ] No [X]
Attachments: Yes [X] No [ ]
Public Notification: (E-Mail) Meetings and Agendas - City Council (04/09/2026)
Department Approval: Yanni Demitri, Public Works Director/City Engineer (09/15/2025)
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RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends the City Council adopt a Resolution: (1) approving the Engineer’s Report for the Solid Waste Rate Study; (2) declaring its intention to levy and collect the Solid Waste Fees for Fiscal Years 2026-27 through 2030-31; and (3) setting a public hearing for May 26, 2026.
BACKGROUND
Culver City’s Environmental Programs & Operations (EPO) division of the Public Works Department provides solid waste and recycling services to approximately 8,000 residential and 1,500 business accounts, funded entirely by user charges through the City’s Enterprise Refuse Fund. The Division operates sixteen collection routes and manages the City-owned Transfer Station with a capacity of 500 tons per day.
The City’s solid waste services include refuse, recycling, organics, and construction & demolition collection, street sweeping, and transfer services to residential and commercial customers. The City’s exclusive franchise arrangement for the provision of these services allows the City to provide the highest quality of customer service to residents at a cost lower than surrounding municipalities and directly control the City’s programs to maximize material recovery in accordance with local and state regulations and City priorities, including launching organics collections prior to many surrounding agencies in advance of SB 1383
EPO recovers its costs of operations through solid waste fees charged to customers. In the past decade, solid waste collection costs have been burdened by conditions that have increased costs, including higher recycling fees due to the shrinking international market for these materials; doubling of refuse fees due to closure of local landfills such as Chiquita Canyon, reducing regional capacity; new processing fees for organics materials and other compliance requirements of SB 1383 regulations; higher costs of transportation as a result of using alternative fuels and the closure of facilities that requires longer trucking distances; increased implementation of complete street installations that install bollards and other physical barriers that restrict traditional street sweeping and require costlier hand sweeping; and structural improvements to the aging Transfer Station including refurbishing the tipping floor, installation of interior push walls, and stormwater capture enhancements. In 2021, the City Council approved a five-year adjustment that increased fees approximately 45% between Fiscal Year 2021-22 and 2025-26.
To offset rising costs, EPO continues to implement cost saving and revenue generating measures, including partnerships with outside agencies such as Santa Monica to process additional waste through our Transfer Station to maximize capacity; regularly auditing commercial and residential customer accounts to identify and correct billing errors; reducing the use of contract labor; and optimizing truck routes to equalize them and reduce employee overtime.
The City retained the services of an outside financial consultant, SCS Engineers, Inc. to analyze all aspects and prepare an engineer’s report beginning Fiscal Year 2026-27 to determine the City’s solid waste fees.
DISCUSSION
The Public Works Director/City Engineer has prepared the Engineer’s Report for the Solid Waste Fees and filed said Report with the City Clerk. A copy of the Engineer’s report is attached to this report for consideration by the City Council. Notifications to ratepayers were mailed on April 11, 2026 and the report and details of the rate proposal were included on the City’s website at https://www.culvercity.gov/Services/Environmental-Programs/Proposed-Refuse-Rate-Increase
Staff is recommending that the City increase Solid Waste Fees by 9% for Fiscal Year 2026-27. An 8%increase for Fiscal Year 2027-28 is based on the Engineer’s Report. For Fiscal Years 2028-29 through 2030-31, the rates are proposed to increase 5% annually, for a total increase of 32% over the five-year period. A comparison of typical rates from surrounding communities including the City of Los Angeles, West Hollywood, Beverly Hills, and Santa Monica shows that, even with increases proposed, Culver City’s rates will be among the lowest for most customers.
Table 1 below summarizes current monthly solid waste collection rates for Culver City and the current solid waste rates of several neighboring agencies. Culver City rates are lower than most other neighboring cities. Table 2 summarizes Culver City’s rates under the proposed Fiscal Year 2026-27 rate increase of 9%. The proposed monthly rate compares favorably with the other agencies surveyed as well. Other cities such as Beverly Hills will complete rate studies in the short term to address rising costs as well.
Table 1
Refuse Collection Rate Per Month Comparison with Nearby Agencies for FY 2025-26 (Three-Stream)
Agency Single Family Multi-Family (2 cy) Commercial (2 cy)
Culver City $55.92 $385.04 $385.04
Beverly Hills $53.95 $518.50 $518.50
City of Los Angeles $55.95 $634.82 $634.82
Santa Monica $57.13 $581.78 $573.68
West Hollywood $33.18 $535.80 $819.39
Table 2
Proposed Refuse Collection Rate Per Month Comparison with Nearby Agencies for FY 2026-27 (Three-Stream)
Agency Single Family Multi-Family (2 cy) Commercial (2 cy)
Culver City $60.95 $419.69 $419.69
Beverly Hills* $57.19 $549.61 $549.61
City of Los Angeles* $59.53 $667.96 $667.96
Santa Monica $63.41 $647.77 $637.67
West Hollywood* $35.17 $567.95 $868.55
* Multi-year rate schedule not published assumes a 6% CPI increase for rates. Commercial and Multi-Family rates for other agencies are set by franchise haulers.
All affected customers will be mailed a notification of the proposed increased assessment and the date, time, and location of the public hearing, as required by Proposition 218. A Public Hearing will be held not earlier than 45 days after authorization by the City Council and mailed public notice of the hearing, with a proposed date of May 26, 2026. Other related sanitation questions will be addressed at that meeting as well.
Staff recommends that the City Council adopt a resolution: (1) approving the Engineer’s Report for the Solid Waste Rate Study; (2) declaring the City Council’s intention to order the levy of Solid Waste Fees for Fiscal Years 2026-27 through 2030-31; and (3) setting the time and place for the public hearing as required by Culver City Municipal Code (CCMC) Sections 5.02.035.C and 5.02.040.
Should the City Council adopt the proposed resolution, pursuant to 5.02.040 of the CCMC, the City Clerk shall give notice of the May 26, 2026 public hearing by causing the Resolution of Intention to be published at least 14 days prior to the date of the hearing. During the scheduled Public Hearing, the City will consider all protests against any proposed increase or assessment.
FISCAL ANALYSIS
A detailed analysis of the revenues and expenses is contained in the Engineer’s Report.
ATTACHMENTS
• 2026-04-13 - ATT CC-Solid Waste Rate Study-Engineers Report
• 2026-04-13 - CC-ATT-Resolution of Intention (Solid Waste Fees)
recommended action
MOTION(S)
That the City Council:
Adopt a Resolution:
1. Approving the Engineer’s Report for the Solid Waste Rate Study;
2. Declaring the City Council’s intention to order the levy of Solid Waste Fees for Fiscal Years 2026-27 through 2030-31; and
3. Setting the Public Hearing for May 26, 2026.