STUDY PROPOSED ON TRASH FEES.

Byline: Rick Orlov and Kerry Cavanaugh Staff Writers

Stung by complaints from residents, the City Council called Monday for a study of costs related to garbage collection and promised to consult with neighborhood councils before it decides whether to impose a fee that would boost homeowners' trash bills by 233 percent.

Budget analysts have suggested the council consider charging as much as $27 a month for trash pickup - a service that single-family homes and small apartment complexes now get for free.

Under a proposal unveiled Friday by Chief Administrative Officer Bill Fujioka, the fee would be phased in over the next decade to cover the cost of pickup and landfill disposal. With homeowners already paying $11.60 a month for sanitation equipment, that would bring monthly bills to $38.60 - a 233 percent increase.

The proposal is expected to meet stiff resistance from the city's neighborhood councils, which organized last year to block a proposed 18 percent water-rate hike over two years. The Department of Water and Power ultimately raised rates by 11 percent.

``My immediate reaction is it sounds impossible because of what we went through with the DWP,'' said William Haller, president of the West Van Nuys/Lake Balboa Neighborhood Council.

``Twenty-seven dollars per month as a household-collection fee would seriously impact the low-income people in our community.''

During discussions Monday on the city budget, council members said they planned to reach out to the community before considering imposing a new fee.

``I hope we learned from the DWP experience that we have to include neighborhood councils,'' Councilwoman Wendy Greuel said. ``Anything we do, we need to make sure the public and the neighborhood councils are involved.''

A trash-collection fee is not included in the budget approved Monday, although the council did approve a study of the actual cost of collecting and disposing trash - now estimated to be $209 million a year - as well as looking at fees charged by other cities.

Councilman Tom LaBonge said he believes more research is needed before imposing a trash-pickup fee - even one phased in over 10 years.

``I believe this city made a promise to residents that we would never have a trash-collection fee once we banned incinerators in the city,'' LaBonge said.

Other council members said apartment dwellers have the cost of commercial disposal service included in their rent. Both apartment dwellers and businesses are exempt from the city recycling program.

``This is a subsidy for homeowners,'' Councilman Bernard Parks said. ``Someone who owns apartments or rents could ask why they don't receive the same benefit.''

Fujioka said the study would be the first step in imposing a trash-pickup fee. It would also need the approval of 12 of the 15 council members, as well as the approval of the mayor.

The trash-fee study is separate from the $2.5 million budgeted for a report on landfills and alternative trash disposal technologies.

In addition to considering a trash fee, the City Council must vote in the next month whether to renew the city's disposal contract with Sunshine Canyon Landfill in Granada Hills or to truck trash to the Antelope Valley and Riverside County at an estimated cost increase of $22 million per year.

Officials have said Los Angeles is one of the few cities that offer free trash pickup.

San Francisco residents pay about $19 per household for garbage collection and disposal, and those in Santa Clarita pay $18.64 per month.

However, New York City, Chicago and San Diego all offer ``free'' trash pickup for single-family homes and some apartment complexes. They fund the collection and disposal with property taxes or other general-fund revenue.

Atlanta also includes trash pickup on its annual property-tax bill, but adjusts the charge based on property size. A home with about 50 feet of frontage would pay about $380 a year, or roughly $32 a month.

Kerry Cavanaugh, [phone]

kerry.cavanaugh(at)dailynews.com