The San Mateo City Council will consider tonight whether to join Redwood City and other cities in forming a task force to evaluate the South Bayside Waste Management Authority and how it is governed.

City staff recommends that the City Council designate one of its members to the task force to review whether the SBWMA is being run efficiently in light of annual garbage rate increases.

The SBWMA board currently consists of city staff but that may change to include elected officials if the board moves to amend its charter.

In December, the Redwood City Council agreed to ask the other SBWMA member agencies to join and appoint a representative to evaluate the agency and consider changes if warranted. San Carlos, Foster City, Belmont, Hillsborough, Burlingame and the West Bay Sanitary District are on board so far.

San Mateo will consider whether to join the group in a special study session tonight before the council meets for its regular meeting.

Redwood City's move to evaluate the agency comes on the heels of repeated fee hikes and the handling of an ex-employee's retaliation claim against the executive director after her job was cut. In deciding to form a task force, Redwood City Councilwoman Rosanne Foust used as an example questions over why the SBWMA did not put the director on leave while investigating the matter.

The SBWMA, also known as RethinkWaste, formed in 1982 and its members include Atherton, Belmont, Burlingame, East Palo Alto, Foster City, Hillsborough, Menlo Park, Redwood City, San Carlos, San Mateo, San Mateo County and the West Bay Sanitary District. It owns the Shoreway Environmental Center in San Carlos and is led by an executive director who reports to a board of directors comprised of city staff from the various cities.

The San Mateo City Council meets in a special study session 5:45 p.m., tonight, City Hall, 330 W. 20th Ave., San Mateo.