The city councils of Colusa and Williams last week voted to turn over all unpaid garbage bills to the Colusa County Auditor to be collected through the property tax lien process.
This is an annual process for both cities, whose contract with Recology to mandate services includes an unpopular built-in collection process that assures the company gets paid, Officials said.
Recology reported that between March 31, 2022 through March 31, 2023, 65 properties in Colusa were delinquent in the amount of $31,744. In Williams, 57 properties fell delinquent, totalling about $23,223.
Account delinquencies ranged from about $150 to $1,800 and were both residential and commercial customers.
Williams and Colusa officials said because the city councils in both locations mandate all residences and businesses have garbage collection services, Recology delivers a list of delinquent accounts annually for collection.
Each year, public hearings are held by both cities to certify the amounts to be turned over for collection, which gives property owners an opportunity when Recology officials are present to link guaranteed payment to poor customer service by the company, which is often alleged.
In Colusa, landlord John Rogers said the company repeatedly misapplied payments to the wrong accounts because he pays multiple bills with one check.
In Williams, Councilman Roberto Mendoza said the Recology’s lack of courtesy in handling citizens’ complaints by telephone is directly linked to the company knowing they will be paid anyway.
“Everytime I call, there is somebody over there with a bad attitude,” Mendoza said. “I don’t know who it is, but you can’t have somebody with a bad attitude.”
Although Councilwoman Kate Dunlap said she felt Mendoza’s comments were inappropriate, Mendoza said he wanted it on the record that the city should revisit mandatory garbage service.
“I hope I’m on the council when that comes up again,” he said.
City officials in both jurisdictions said whatever the reason, the number of delinquent accounts turned over to the auditor in 2023 has sharply declined compared to the last four or five years.
Caitlin De Gracia, Recology accounts receivable specialist, said the company had “cleaned” up a number of accounts and sent multiple notices to property owners that they were behind in payment, in an effort to reduce the number of liens to be managed by the local jurisdictions.
The City of Colusa collects a $47 administration fee for each lien placed on the property owner’s tax bill; the City of Williams collects $90 for processing each lien.
The cities made garbage service mandatory more than a decade ago at the request of, and upon payment of, about $400,000 by Recology.
The County of Colusa implemented mandatory garbage in the unincorporated areas of Maxwell and Arbuckle in 2013, on the promise that the company would improve the transfer station, but quickly took it off the table amid massive protest.
Recology and county officials, at the time, said mandatory garbage service was an effort to reduce and prevent illegal dumping and littering, but because Recology only wanted mandatory garbage in certain areas of the county and not where it would be less profitable to travel (Stonyford and Princeton), that argument was deemed moot.
The protest was led largely by Maxwell residents who live in close proximity to the transfer station, who said it cost less to dispose of garbage there than to pay for garbage collection services. ■