Santa Clarita / Antelope Valley : Palmdale OKs Controversial Deal With Trash Hauler : Garbage: The exclusive franchise raises monthly fee for homeowners 24%. Residents say a monopoly has been created.

Despite objections from residents, the Palmdale City Council has approved a 15-year exclusive franchise with the city’s main waste hauler that will increase homeowners’ monthly trash fee by 24% starting next month.

The council voted 4 to 0 Thursday night for the measure to increase the residential trash fee in Palmdale from $11.50 to $14.25 per month. Councilwoman Teri Jones abstained. City officials said the increase is needed to fund recycling requirements imposed by the state.

During a lengthy public hearing, however, residents criticized the council’s decision to in effect grant a trash hauling monopoly to Arklin Brothers Enterprises, also known as Palmdale Disposal Co., and questioned the fee increase.

“Any time you raise prices, it’s a difficult decision,” Palmdale Mayor Jim Ledford said. But he added that the new fee is below that paid by residents in many other communities. He and other city officials said the 15-year deal buys the city important protections.

Under the deal, Palmdale Disposal is responsible for ensuring that the city complies with a state law requiring a 25% reduction by 1995 in the amount of garbage that communities dump into landfills. Palmdale also will have space guaranteed at the company’s Antelope Valley Public Dump.

City officials said $2.50 of the $2.75-a-month increase is due to the cost of Palmdale Disposal’s widening recycling efforts. Under the franchise, the company can seek another general rate increase next year, but future increases would be tied to changes in the Consumer Price Index.

Palmdale Disposal already is the city’s designated residential trash hauler. Under the new franchise, the company also will become the exclusive commercial and industrial hauler, although four current commercial haulers will have until March, 1997, to phase out their service.

The city’s new trash collection rates include a reduced fee for low-income senior citizens: $11.25 a month for those living in houses; $19.20 for duplexes, and $7.50 per apartment for complexes with five or more units. City officials said commercial rates will increase by 16%.

Another new facet of the deal is a surcharge to discourage non-Palmdale residents from using the company’s landfill in the city. The surcharge revenue will go to the city, and will start at 2%, increase to 4% in mid-1994, and then to 6% in mid-1996.

The only other company with a local landfill is Waste Management of Lancaster, a major hauler in that city. Waste Management had wanted Palmdale to put its franchise up for bid. But city officials refused, noting the company already charges Lancaster residents $13.50 a month.