Trash collection rates in Huntington Beach will rise steadily over the next couple of years after the City Council voted Monday night in favor of a plan intended to help balance the city’s refuse fund.

The council voted 6-1, with Councilman Erik Peterson dissenting, to approve a series of rate increases that start July 1 and end two years later. The increases coincide with increases in what Republic Services — formerly Rainbow Environmental Services — charges the city for collection.

The refuse fund, which the city uses for trash-related services, has not kept pace with expenses and has amassed a deficit of $565,000 since a trash collection rate increase wasn’t approved in 2011, according to a city staff report.