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Residents urge commissioners to reject single-hauler trash plan; city manager says no formal recommendation yet
Summary
Multiple residents urged the commission to oppose a proposed single-hauler solid-waste program, calling it discriminatory and a monopoly; the city manager said staff has not presented a final recommendation and public discussion is scheduled for Oct. 18.
Several residents told the Grand Rapids City Commission they oppose a potential single-hauler residential trash program, saying it would eliminate consumer choice and harm local businesses. City officials said no formal recommendation has yet been presented and that a public discussion is scheduled for the commission’s Oct. 18 meeting.
Mary Bar, a Second Ward resident, called the single-hauler concept discriminatory and said it would remove residents’ ability to choose private haulers. “We should have a right to choose a hauler,” she said. “The city’s not gonna do that. If my private hauler does something wrong, I can fire them. I can’t fire the city.”
Rick Barr, a former private-hauler operator and Second Ward resident, said the process felt predetermined and urged the commission to either reject the plan or send it to a public ballot. “It was like, well, it’s not a monopoly till ’27. It’s kinda like it’s already a done deal,” he said.
City Manager staff told the commission that no formal recommendation to adopt a single-hauler program has been forwarded to the commission. The city manager said staff’s objective is to collect resident feedback and explore options; a formal presentation and fuller discussion are expected at the commission meeting on Oct. 18. “I have not been presented with any formal recommendation and I’m the one who’s responsible for bringing the recommendation to the city commission,” the city manager said.
Commissioners and staff did not take formal action to adopt a single-hauler plan at the meeting. The manager said that, if no recommendation is ready in the coming weeks, the topic will be scheduled for the Oct. 18 commission meeting so the public can follow that discussion.
