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CC - CONSENT ITEM: (1) Adoption of an Ordinance Incorporating Clarifying Amendments in Culver City Municipal Code (CCMC) Subchapters 5.01.075 (Time and Payment of Charges) and 5.01.080 (Delinquent Account Payments) Related to Solid Waste Management; and (2) Adoption of a Resolution Establishing a 10% Penalty for Delinquent Accounts (Reducing the Penalty from 50%).
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Meeting Date: June 22, 2026
Contact/Dept. Sean Singletary, Public Works Department
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 (06/17/2026); Mailer to all property and business owners (04/11/2026); Email Public Hearing Notice: Culver City News and Events, EPO Consultants, Environmental Programs and Events, Sustainability/Environmental Issues (06/17/2026).
Dept Approval: Yanni Demitri, Public Works Director/City Engineer (05/18/2026)
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RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends the City Council (1) adopt an Ordinance incorporating clarifying amendments in Culver City Municipal Code (CCMC) subchapters 5.01.075 (Time and Payment of Charges) and 5.01.080 (Delinquent Account Payments) related to solid waste management; and (2) adopt a Resolution establishing a 10% penalty for delinquent accounts (reducing the penalty from 50%).
BACKGROUND/DISCUSSION
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 to process 500 tons of solid waste, organics and recycling per day.
Per Municipal Code 5.01.075, payment of charges for solid waste handling services is due on or before the last day of the month following the month in which the service was rendered; for example, refuse services rendered in May 2026 will be due on June 30, 2026. Late charges are currently set at a 50% penalty of the amount due. Waivers for late charges can be requested, and the City Manager or their designee has the ability to waive late charges up to $5,000. Late charges over that amount are appealed directly to City Council.
In order to bring penalties in line with surrounding agencies, staff recommends the late charge be reduced from 50% to 10%. Additionally, in order to expedite consideration of waivers, staff recommends that the City Manager or designee be able to waive all penalty fees regardless of the total.
Almost all residential customers pay refuse fees through parcel tax billings collected by the County of Los Angeles and therefore do not generate late fees. Any late fees collected by the County for parcel tax non-payment are not distributed to the City of Culver City. So, the late fees being reduced in this action mostly impact commercial and temporary (construction or production) customers, who pay bills directly to the City.
On May 26, 2026, staff presented the proposed changes to the Ordinance. City Council unanimously introduced the Ordinance, which is now being presented for adoption.
A proposed Resolution establishing a 10% penalty for delinquent accounts (reduced from 50%) is also being presented for adoption, consistent with the Section 5.01.080 of the Ordinance, which Resolution shall take effect concurrently with the effective date of the Ordinance.
FISCAL ANALYSIS
The proposed changes have no impact on General Fund. Reducing the late-payment penalty from 50% to 10% is projected to decrease Refuse Enterprise Fund revenues by $400,000, to $500,000 annually. The projected revenue decrease was anticipated and will be entirely offset by the anticipated increase in revenues from the proposed refuse rate adjustments included in the Solid Waste Refuse Rate Study and adopted by the City Council on May 26, 2026.
ATTACHMENTS
1. 2026-06-22_ATT1_Ordinance Amending 5.01.075 and 5.01.080
2. 2026-06-22_ATT 2_Resolution Establishing Penalty for Delinquent Accounts
recommended action
MOTION(S)
That the City Council:
1. Adopt an Ordinance incorporating clarifying amendments in Culver City Municipal Code (CCMC) subchapters 5.01.075 (Time and Payment of Charges) and 5.01.080 (Delinquent Account) related to solid waste management; and
2. Adopt a Resolution establishing a 10% penalty for delinquent accounts (reducing the penalty from 50%).