Letter to Council: Proposed Recology Rate Increase

[Editor's note: The following was submitted by Rocky Barilla.]

Dear City Council Members:

We know that the residents of Belmont are concerned about the current and proposed rates of Recology. We have received notice that there will be a public hearing on the matter on November 26, 2013, and plan to voice our concerns.

But before we do, we have a few questions that we would like answered so that we may prepare an accurate response.

1) Did the City of Belmont and Recology enter into a franchise fee agreement i.e. does Recology or its other corporate identities pay Belmont for allowing them to operate the franchise? If so, what are the specifics of the franchise fee agreement.

2) How was the Consumer Price Index defined in the original contract in order to allow an increase of 5.9%? The annual U.S. CPI is 2% at most.

3) Why was a migration recovery allowed in the original contract; and why were there no maximums?

We know that you take your fiduciary responsibilities very seriously and espouse transparency in local governmental matters. We await your response.

Thank you.

Sincerely,

Rocky Barilla
Belmont