-Editorial
The Brawley City Council approved a 4% consumer price index (CPI) rate increase for residential and commercial solid waste services provided by Republic Services, with the adjustment scheduled to take effect Jan. 1, 2026.
The council’s action follows a recommendation from city staff and Finance Director Silvia Luna. It is consistent with the terms of the city’s long-standing exclusive franchise agreement for solid waste collection and disposal services. The agreement, originally approved in August 2006 with Allied Waste Transportation Services Inc., governs refuse, recycling, and related services for residential, commercial, and industrial customers throughout the city. Allied Waste later became Republic Services of Imperial.
Since the original agreement was adopted, the City Council has approved four amendments. The first amendment incorporated street sweeping services and extended the initial term of the contract for 10 years, through Sept. 1, 2026. Subsequent amendments modified the street sweeping schedule, expanded recycling services to include multifamily bin services, and revised the method for calculating annual rate adjustments.
Amendment No. 4 established the use of the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) for the Western Urban Area, Size B/C, as published by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics, to determine annual rate increases. Under the agreement, the CPI value from Oct. 1 of each year is applied to rates beginning Jan. 1 of the following contract year. The contract also includes a provision that caps any single annual CPI-based rate increase at 4%.
According to the staff report, the most recent 12-month CPI data reflect an increase of 5.06%. However, because of the contractual cap, the city is limited to approving no more than a 4% increase. City staff noted that the CPI adjustment is an agreed-upon term of the franchise agreement, and no alternative actions were recommended for council consideration.
The approved increase will be passed directly to utility customers. For residential accounts, which are billed in advance by the city, the monthly refuse rate will increase from $28.36 to $29.49, an increase of $1.13 per month. The city collects residential refuse fees and remits payments to Republic Services every month.
Commercial customers are billed directly by Republic Services, and rates vary depending on bin size and collection frequency. As an example cited in the staff report, a three-yard commercial bin with weekly pickup, including organic waste recycling services, will increase from $205.97 to $214.21, reflecting an $8.24 monthly increase.
City officials said the CPI increase is separate from ongoing discussions with Republic Services regarding the implementation of state-mandated organic waste recycling requirements. Those mandates have created additional costs that are not fully funded by the state, and both parties have agreed to continue discussions related to the “extraordinary cost” of compliance while proceeding with the CPI adjustment outlined in the contract.
Republic Services formally submitted its request for the annual rate adjustment in a letter dated Oct. 27, 2025, addressed to City Manager Rebecca Terrazas-Baxter. In the letter, the company cited the CPI increase and the 4% contractual cap, stating that the adjustment is intended to maintain service levels while providing rate stability for customers.
As part of the council’s action, city staff will include a message in the next billing cycle notifying customers of the rate adjustment and its effective date. City officials emphasized that the increase reflects contractual obligations tied to inflation and does not represent a discretionary rate change by the council.
