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Public Works Agency <br />www.santa-ana.org/public-works <br />Item # 4 <br />City of Santa Ana <br />20 Civic Center Plaza, Santa Ana, CA 92701 <br /> Staff Report <br />December 5, 2023 <br />TOPIC: Sanitation Services Users Charge (Sanitation Fee) Adjustment in Compliance <br />with Proposition 218 Requirements <br />AGENDA TITLE <br />Authorization to Prepare Documents for Proposed Sanitation Fee Adjustment in <br />Compliance with Proposition 218 Requirements (Non-General Fund) <br />RECOMMENDED ACTION <br />Authorize and direct staff to initiate the process for adjusting the Sanitation Fee, as per <br />the Proposition 218 requirements, including, but not limited to, all of the following: <br />a. Prepare and mail proposed rate adjustment notices to all Santa Ana property <br />owners in compliance with Proposition 218 requirements at a cost not to exceed <br />$100,000; <br />b. Schedule a public hearing at a future City Council meeting on or after February <br />6, 2024; and <br />c. Prepare all other documents to proceed with proposed sanitation fee adjustment. <br />GOVERNMENT CODE §84308 APPLIES: No <br />DISCUSSION <br />On August 1, 2023, the City Council authorized and awarded a contract to Stearns, <br />Conrad & Schmidt Consulting Engineers, Inc. (SCS) to conduct a comprehensive Cost <br />of Service Study for the sanitation enterprise (Exhibit 1). The study examined City <br />assets, capital needs, and financial conditions related to sanitation services, addressing <br />the requirements of Proposition 218. <br />Background <br />The Sanitation Fee, established on June 17, 1991, by Ordinance (NS-2129), has <br />remained fixed and without an increase since 1996. It was reduced in 2017 and 2019 <br />when certain expenses were transferred to the General Fund. The current monthly rate <br />is $5.35 per dwelling unit. <br />The Sanitation Fee, constituting 1% of the total City budget, funds essential services, <br />including: