Ocean Beach to run garbage collection in-house; trustees adopt amended budget with higher refuse fee

The Village of Ocean Beach Board of Trustees voted unanimously to adopt an amended 2026 budget that moves refuse collection from a private contractor to an in-house operation and establishes a new refuse fee for residents.

Mayor Mallett told the board that the village had received one responsive bid from the incumbent contractor, Brownie, which first came in at $1,800,000 and later at $1,350,000 after removing winter pickup. "We can do this job for 1000000 dollars," the mayor said, arguing the village could lease or buy trucks and hire roughly 10–11 part-time employees to operate collection. Officials said the one-time capital costs would come from reserves and that running the service in-house should reduce ongoing costs over time.

The board described the fee structure that will appear in the adopted budget: the earlier proposal’s $50 sewer and $50 water fee adjustments were removed from the version presented for adoption and replaced with a revised refuse line item. Treasurer/administrator comments during the hearing put an illustrative residential increase at about $496 (presented as an additional per-property line item). Trustees and staff said they will post the final adopted budget online after incorporating the revisions discussed during the public hearing.

During a lengthy public Q&A, residents and business owners pressed officials on the point-rating system the village will use to apportion commercial refuse charges, asked how short-term rentals would be handled, and requested more transparent breakdowns of each commercial property’s rating. The mayor and staff offered to meet individually with business owners to walk through their assigned points and to research whether the village can legally permit split tax payments for the one-time larger fee.

Officials said other cost drivers remain high — barging and tipping fees to mainland disposal sites, leasing/maintenance for vehicles and seasonal staffing — and that the transition would include a learning curve. "We’re ready to take any questions that you have on the budget and on the garbage," the mayor told the audience before the vote.

The trustees adopted the amended budget and the in-house refuse plan by voice vote; board members present voted "Aye," and the motion carried.