Council of the City of Portola will hold a public hearing on proposed increases to the residential and commercial refuse collection rates of the City of Portola, which are billed by Intermountain Disposal (IMD) in accordance with its franchise agreement with the City. The public hearing will be held on December 10, 2025 at the hour of 6:00 p.m., or as soon thereafter as possible, in the City Council Chamber, Portola City Hall, 35 Third Avenue, Portola, California.
The purpose of the public hearing is to consider all oral and written testimony and written protests of the proposed rates. At the public hearing, any interested person may appear and be heard and/or submit written materials and protests of the proposed rates. Written comments and protests submitted to the City Manager at the address listed below prior to December 10, 2025 and those
received prior to the close of the public hearing on December 10, 2025 will be presented to the City Council at the public hearing.
A copy of the proposed rates for refuse collection fees and commercial recycling rates charged by Intermountain Disposal are attached to this Notice. Additional cost data is available for inspection at the City Manager’s Office, 35 Third Avenue, Portola, California. For further information on waste collection fees, contact (530) 832-6803.
PROPOSED 2026 REFUSE COLLECTION RATES CALCULATION AND APPROVAL PROCESS
Proposed 2026 rates for refuse collection in the City of Portola are attached to this Notice. Proposed rates are calculated using procedures described in Section 5.3 of the Franchise Agreement between Intermountain Disposal and the City of Portola.
The proposed refuse collection rates are calculated on changes in the cost of doing business, based on data published by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and the U.S. Energy Information Administration for consumer indices and fuel price changes over a one-year period (August 2024 to August 2025). Specifically, the two federal agency statistics used to calculate the annual
increase are:
➢ Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Price Index for All West Urban Consumers, Non Seasonally Adjusted; and
➢ Energy Information Administration California No. 2 Diesel Retail Prices.
City staff calculated the inflation and diesel fuel increases using August 2024 and August 2025
federal data and the calculation procedure stated in section 5.3 of the franchise agreement. The combined CPI/Diesel Fuel rate increase is 3.16%. Some, but not all, of the refuse collection rates are also proposed to be adjusted due to a disposal fee increase (4.42%) effective July 1, 2025 at the Delleker Transfer Station, as approved by the Plumas County Board of Supervisors. Following review of IMD’s financial records of revenues and expenses, City staff calculated a 1.12% increase for rates to collect and dispose of solid waste.
Note that an increase in refuse disposal fees at the Delleker Transfer Station are a pass-through expense and eligible for a rate adjustment upon request by IMD under its franchise agreement.
On October 8, 2025, the Portola City Council approved the calculations of the proposed 2026 refuse collection rates, authorized the distribution of this Notice to establish a 45-day written public comment and protest period, and set a public hearing for December 10, 2025 at the City Council chamber
Portola City Council Public Hearing on Proposed 2026 Residential and Commercial Refuse Rate Increases
