Amador County – Amador County Public Works in a mid-July mailer announced an upcoming public hearing as the Amador County Board of Supervisors will be asked to raise garbage service rates for about 6,100 customers in the county’s three franchise billing areas. ACES Waste Service Incorporated is looking to raise rates for 5,200 customers in the Upcountry. Jim McHargue, Program Manager of Amador County Waste Management, said that includes a 7.75 percent hike for 4,400 total ACES customers in Franchise Area 3. ACES also seeks supervisors’ approval of a 4.83 percent rate increase in Franchise Area 2, which has about 800 customers. The other county hauler Amador Disposal Service Waste Connections, will be seeking a rate increase of 3.91 percent, in its only service zone in Amador, Franchise Area 1, with approximately 900 customers. McHargue said all rate increase requests will be handled in public hearings Sept 15th. McHargue announced the hearings in letters to customers July 17th. The ACES rate increase request notice includes the reason for the proposed increase. Franchise Area 3, in Amador County, includes Pine Grove, Pioneer and Upcountry areas and the eastern section of the county, McHargue said, “essentially everything east of Jackson and Sutter Creek city limits (and) up Shake Ridge Road”. McHargue in a letter said Area 3 rates were last increased October 1st, 2008, when rates went up 10 percent. The letter said of the 7.75 percent hike proposal, 5.4 percent of it “is due to an increase in ACES waste disposal costs at Kiefer Landfill in Sacramento County.” In Franchise Area 3, residential rate increases would be between $2 and $2.70 a month, depending on receptacle sizes; and commercial rate increases would range from $7.80 a month, up to $41.95 a month, also depending on bin sizes. If approved by supervisors, the rate increases would take effect October 1st. The public hearings are set for 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, September 15th, at the supervisors’ chambers at 810 Court Street in Jackson. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.