Logo courtesy of the City of Gridley

GRIDLEY, CA (MPG) – The Gridley City Council on Monday delayed placing liens on properties with delinquent Waste Management accounts after residents raised concerns about billing errors, ownership changes and a lack of notification. The council directed city staff and Waste Management to verify the accounts before returning the matter Aug. 3.

The proposed liens totaled about $180,132 across more than 170 accounts that were at least 120 days delinquent. Individual accounts ranged from about $93 to more than $2,300. Most of the proposed liens were for a few hundred dollars, while a smaller number exceeded $1,000 after multiple years of unpaid service and the city's 1% administrative fee were added.

The public hearing drew several property owners who said they had already paid their accounts, recently purchased properties listed for liens or never received notices that garbage bills had gone unpaid. Several told the council they were incorrectly listed because the delinquent balances belonged to former owners or former tenants, leaving current property owners to challenge the proposed liens.

A Waste Management representative outlined the company's collection process, explaining that customers receive multiple notices before accounts are referred for the lien process and that payment plans are available for those who contact the company.

"The letters that go out in February, March and April are sent not only to the customer who is receiving the garbage, but also the owner of the property," the representative said. "If they contact us and try to make it right, then we give them a payment plan."

The representative said the largest balances reflect two years of unpaid bills because the lien process was not completed last year.

Residents described a variety of billing problems during the hearing. One property owner said he received seven lien notices totaling more than $5,500 but had never been notified his tenants were behind on their garbage bills. Another homeowner said Waste Management confirmed her account had a zero balance, yet her property still appeared on the proposed lien list. Others said they purchased their homes after the delinquent charges were incurred by previous owners.

Councilmember Catalina Sanchez urged the city to review every account before approving any liens, citing concerns that outdated ownership and tenant information could result in errors.

City Manager Elisia Arteaga said the city's role under its Franchise Agreement with Waste Management is limited to administering the lien process and does not include collecting garbage bills or arranging payment plans.

"This service is provided by Waste Management," Arteaga said. "As far as the city's involved, our role in this is just following our code for the lien. If they need to make arrangements or extensions, they should reach out to Waste Management because it's their utility bill."

Councilmember Angel Calderon said he would also like the city to explore ways to better assist residents facing financial hardship and develop a protocol for helping residents navigate billing issues before delinquent accounts reach the lien stage.

Rather than approving the liens, the council directed city staff and Waste Management to

continue reviewing the disputed accounts and bring the matter back for consideration Aug. 3, or at a special meeting if necessary, to meet the county's Aug. 7 deadline for placing delinquent charges on the property tax roll.