Council Votes On Garbage Rates and Cell Towers Tonight

Residents may walk away from tonight’s City Council meeting with mixed emotions. The council is expected to pass a 25 percent increase on garbage rates—a possibility residents have spoken out against—and enact an urgency ordinance governing the installation of cell towers—an idea generally supported by the public.

As a member of the 12-city South Bayside Waste Management Authority (SBWMA), Burlingame must pay certain waste expenses and abide by certain requirements.

The 25 percent increase is necessary for three reasons. Ten percent is for the increased costs of waste and recycling collection in 2012, including costs associated with the SBWMA. Another 10 percent will make up for shortfalls in revenue from 2011. At the time, Burlingame instituted a 17 percent increase in rates. However, Burlingame had a 2011 revenue shortfall of $798,494. The final five percent will cover variations in service subscriptions, which customers can modify based on their waste needs. Garbage collection for smaller bins is provided at a cheaper rate, so lost revenue must be taken into account.

At a November meeting, Councilmembers expressed frustration with the new rate hikes, something they said they have little control over due to their SBWMA membership.

Mayor Jerry Deal said he was upset Burlingame was paying for joint decisions it disagreed with, when a two-thirds vote by SBWMA members or millions of dollars is necessary to leave the group.

“When we tried to get out of it, in effect we were told you can’t get out of it,” he said. “It’s like we had a gun to our head, and now all of the sudden we’re getting all these rate increases.”

Last week, the Planning Commission gave its support to a draft ordinance governing the installation of wireless telecommunication facilities in Burlingame. The ordinance is a result of months of collaboration between the council, Planning Commission, concerned citizens and wireless industry representatives through the Wireless Telecommunications Working Group.

Under the ordinance, wireless providers would need one of two permits for antenna installation, with installation occurring primarily in commercial areas in camouflaged constructions.

While those involved admitted the document was not perfect, they recognized neither side could receive everything it wished for, and they believed they reached sufficient middle ground, or at least enough to put the ordinance before the City Council for adoption.

An urgency ordinance means it would begin right away, but another public hearing would be scheduled for Feb. 6 following the general ordinance implementation procedure.