Garbage Disposal District (GDD) Next steps

Alhambra - The formation process continues as Los Angeles County Public Works gathers data from community outreach meetings, emails, recurring questions and complaints about lack of service coupled with the growing illegal dumping crisis. GDDs are the best structure to combat illegal dumping by ensuring every property owner, including owners of vacant parcels, contribute to funding for programs to collect and prevent illegal dumping.

Gathering data is complex and longterm building as the GDD team builds a database. If a majority of property owners do not oppose the fee increase, the proposition will be placed on Special Election in January 2023 for the yes or no vote. Assuming the proposition passes, it will then be presented in 2023-2024 on the property tax rolls. Once the data is in presentation form, all real property owners will be notified of a proposed fee increase on their property tax bills, which will be used to pay the waste hauler rather than residents and commercial businesses contracting directly with the waste hauler. This fee notification conforms with Proposition 218. If a majority of property owners do not oppose the fee increase, the proposition will be placed on Special Election in January 2023 for the yes or no vote. Assuming the proposition passes, it will then be presented in 2023-2024 on the property tax rolls.

There are three bills driving the GDD proposal:

1. AB 341 from 2011 requires businesses that generate 4 cubic yards or more of solid waste per week and multi-family complexes of 5 or more units to have recycling services as well as the periodic trash collection services.

2. AB1826 from 2014 requires business and multifamily complexes with 5 or more units to arrange for organic waste collection

3. SB1383 from 2016 is much broader and more encompassing. It requires all generators of organic waste to agree to organic waste collection.

Here are the next steps in chronological order:

• February 2022 – Invitation for Bids were sent to qualified waste haulers to review and submit proposals for the 4 Districts

• February 2022 – the document required by the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) was made available for public review through several public libraries in the area and the Public Works website.

• March 2022 – the CEQA document completed its 30-day review. Public Works is compiling all comments that were received

• April 27, 2022 – Public Works to receive and reviews the proposals from the waste haulers

• May/June 2022 – using the information provided by the waste haulers, Public Works determines the Service Fee (the yearly fee for waste services that will be added to the annual property tax bill)

• June 8, 2022 – request to the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors to certify the CEQA document and authorize Public Works to place 4 ballot measures on a Special Election held in January 2023

• July 2022 – real property owners begin receiving letters in the mail notifying them about the proposed AV GDD for their area and the Prop 218 community meetings

• August 2022– property owners begin receiving letters in the mail from the Los Angeles Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO*) about a public hearing

• August 2022 – real property owners receive letters in the mail with the Proposition 218 fees and the ability to protest them

• September 2022 – Board of Supervisors to hold 4 Prop 218 hearings, one for each District. If the District does not have a majority protest, they will authorize the creation of the Districts.

• September 2022 – request to the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors to award a contract to the waste hauler for each District

• October 2022 – LAFCO holds a protest hearing for residents

• January 2023 – Special Election, the registered voters in each District will vote to approve the creation of their District. This requires a simple majority vote of approval

• February 2023 – for every ballot measure that was approved by a simple majority, LAFCO will approve the creation of the Districts. Any Districts not approved will have a different form of waste services from the County.

• February 2023 – notify waste hauler for each District to begin purchasing equipment and hiring staff

• May 2023 – waste haulers notify District residents of community meetings

• June 2023 – waste haulers and Public Works hold community meetings

• July 1, 2023 – waste hauler for each District starts providing service

https://lao.ca.gov/handouts/proposition218_handout.html

*Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCo) is a State-mandated, independent agency with countywide jurisdiction over changes in organization and boundaries of cities and special districts including annexations, detachments, incorporations and formations. LAFCos were created by the State Legislature in 1963 in response to the rapid growth and sporadic formation of cities and special districts in California in the years following World War II.

LAFCo has responsibility in the following areas affecting local government in the county:

To discourage urban sprawl and encourage the orderly growth and development of local government agencies

• To prevent premature conversion of agricultural and open space lands

• To review and approve or disapprove proposals for changes in the boundaries and organization of the 20 cities, 24 independent special districts and approximately 44 county-governed special districts plus incorporations of cities and formations of special districts

• To establish and periodically update spheres of influence--future boundary, organization and service plans--for the county's cities and special districts

• To perform and assist in studies of local government agencies with the goal of improving efficiency and reducing costs of providing urban services

For more information on what LAFCos are and how they work, please read 50 Years of LAFCO - A Guide to LAFCOs. 50 Years of LAFCOs.pdf (smcgov.org)

Information on Prop 218 can be found online in several references.

By Shirley Harriman