Hike will help the environment, but not the public

The proposed increase for the coming year would amount to 25% for residential customers with monthly bills going form $26.68 to $33.41 for most Palmdale residents.

Commercial rates would increase by 16% and industrial accounts would increase by 7%, according to a report in Tuesday’s Antelope Valley Press.

All of the proposed increases include the annual 4.7% rate increase allowed under the agreement, based on US Department of Labor cost indexes, the report said. The proposed rate hikes behind the standard annual increase, were negotiated by the city to comply with a new state law intended to decrease greenhouse gases released by decomposing organic waste. The organic waste includes food waste, food packages like tea bags and pizza boxes and even yard clippings. These are all said to produce methane as they decompose, which in turn, contributes to climate change.

Senate Bill 1383, which was passed, in 2016, to address the issue of methane and other pollutants released by organic waste in landfills, set a target of reducing organic waste by 50%, by 2020, and 75%, by 2025.

We understand the need for the increase and why it’s being implemented. But now really is not the best time for this. Granted, the average Palmdale resident’s bill will only increase by $6.73 per month, but when added to all the other increases we’re seeing across the board for goods and services, this is just another expenditure that some can’t afford.

But it’s not like anyone has a choice. If the increase goes into effect, WM customers will have to pay it. The consequence for not paying their bill is for their service to be cut off, which produces a whole other set of problems and can result in some illegally dumping their garbage because it’s not being picked up at their home.

Eventually, the increase will need to go into effect, but now is not the time.