Residents and city property owners who refuse mandatory garbage service will be penalized for failure to comply under an ordinance passed May 26 by the Bonney Lake City Council.

In 2004, the city and DM Disposal agreed to a 5-year contract designating DM Disposal as the garbage collection agent.

In the agreement, the city is the party responsible to ensure mandatory service.

Gary Leaf, community services director, said about 210 accounts are not on garbage service.

He said the purpose of the ordinance is for those residents who do not take the mandatory garbage service and there are no reason for them financial to take it.

“There are some people, by principle, who don’t want the city to tell them what to do,” Leaf said. “The ordinance will allow the staff to issue fines to people who are not taking the mandatory garbage service.

Leaf said, under the current city code, list placement of a lien on property owners who refuse mandatory garbage service.

“Most of the revenue we would get off a lien would be eaten up by fees to file lien fees,” Leaf added.

He said the average lien amount was $150 and the city had to pay $85 for filing a lien.

State law allows civil penalties as an incentive to force residents to comply with the mandatory garbage service.

Accounts unpaid will become delinquent 45 days after billing with a monthly penalty of 1.5 percent on outstanding balances.

Garbage service will be suspended to customers whose accounts are delinquent for more than 90 day. It will not relieve persons owing the late charges, but one the account is settle, the customer can contact DM Disposal to re-establish service within 30 days of service being suspended.

Suspension of garbage pickup shall render the property to condemnation for sanitary reasons.

The council also passed a resolution authorizing Mayor Neil Johnson to sign an agreement with Portland Energy Conservation, Inc. (PECI) to support a city mail-in rebate this year for high-efficiency toilets.

Water conservation reduces the amount of additional water supply the city is required to purchase at a high rate.

The rebate program is designed to increase the number of high-efficiency toilets sold in the city.

In other action, the council passed a resolution to add to the Planning Commission Work Plan the issue of additional design standards for noise, light and odors in areas with mixed used or where properties adjoin business-zoned land, but not limited to the Downtown Mix zone.

Reach Dannie Oliveaux at doliveaux@courierherald.com or 360-802-8209.