Schertz council awards solid-waste franchise to Frontier, approves new rates and code updates

Schertz City Council on Tuesday approved a franchise agreement with Frontier Waste Solutions to provide residential and commercial solid-waste and recycling service, and adopted related fee and code changes that will standardize service citywide and raise monthly residential rates.

City staff framed the package as a coordinated set of changes to equalize service levels across Schertz and to update the municipal code to match the new franchise contract. “So let’s talk trash,” said Sarah Gonzales, assistant city manager, during her presentation of the proposals. Gonzales told the council the contract would start July 1 and would require new polycarts, trucks no older than four years and daily performance reports from the vendor.

The council approved the franchise agreement (ordinance 25F014) on a 5–1 vote, approving staff’s recommendation for “Option 1”: once‑a‑week garbage in a 96‑gallon cart, recycling every other week in a 96‑gallon cart, and bulk/brush collection every other week, plus an on‑demand household hazardous‑waste pickup added at $1.10 per month. The vote followed public hearings in which residents raised concerns about cart size, storage at homes governed by homeowners associations and the frequency of brush and recycling collections.

Why it matters: staff said the current system divides Schertz into two service tiers (about 5,200 accounts receiving once‑a‑week automated pickup and about 9,300 accounts receiving twice‑weekly hand‑collected service) and that the contract and fee changes will equalize service and fund upgraded equipment and new services. Current residential charges are $12.41 for garbage and $2.05 for recycling — $14.46 total. The approved Option 1 rate raises the monthly residential charge to $18.10 (staff also noted alternate proposals in the packet, including a $22 flat rate and Frontier’s alternate $15 proposal, which staff did not recommend because of other contract terms).

What council and residents said: Tom Armstrong, municipal manager for Republic Services, urged caution about switching vendors, arguing “if it isn't broke, don't fix it,” and asked the council to weigh incumbent performance and transition risks. Several residents said the larger carts could be difficult to manage and raised questions about HOA rules and where carts would be stored. “Why can't I just put it at the corner like I've been doing every Monday?” asked Michelle Cholesky, a resident. Another resident said she stores her current 96‑gallon cart in her garage and welcomed a larger recycling container.

Operational details and safeguards: staff said the contract will require new polycarts for residents and include liquidated‑damages provisions for performance failures. The vendor will handle customer complaints directly, with the city receiving routine performance reports. The initial term is five years with one optional five‑year renewal. The franchise and billing fee structure was also adjusted in the package: the combined collection fee charged to the vendor was reduced from 15% to 10% (3% remains a city franchise fee to the general fund; the remainder covers billing/processing costs), which staff projected would increase general‑fund franchise revenue by about $60,000 while reducing Water & Sewer Fund revenue by approximately $100,000 that staff said the utility fund can absorb.

Council action and related ordinances: in addition to awarding the franchise (ordinance 25F014), the council approved an amendment to the city fee schedule to implement the new garbage collection and street fees (ordinance 25M018) and adopted related amendments to the City Code to streamline solid‑waste language and remove redundancies with the nuisance code (ordinance 25H015). The fee ordinance was approved 5–1 and the code amendments passed 6–0. Staff said the $1.10 household hazardous‑waste on‑demand pickup was added to the final fee ordinance and will be reflected in the signed document.

Next steps: staff said a comprehensive communications campaign will precede the July 1 service start date, using the city magazine, social media, print mailings, an app and HOA outreach to notify residents of new carts, set‑out rules, pickup calendars and curb placement for automated trucks. The council asked staff to include holiday pickup schedules and a clear list of acceptable recyclables; staff said holiday schedules will remain the same (Monday pick‑ups moved to Tuesday) and that recycling guidance will be provided.

Votes at a glance: 25F014 — approve franchise agreement with Frontier Waste Solutions (motion by Council member Brown, second by Council member Westbrook): approved 5–1. 25M018 — amend fee schedule to implement new service rates and add $1.10 household hazardous‑waste on‑demand charge (motion by Mayor Ralph Gutierrez, second by Council member Watson): approved 5–1. 25H015 — amend solid‑waste and nuisance code language to remove redundancies and align code with the contract (motion by Council member Brown, second by Council member Macaluso): approved 6–0.

The council directed staff to continue coordination with HOAs on cart storage and to provide customers with a point of contact both for the vendor app and the city if service problems arise. The city will retire the spring/fall cleanup program if the new service pattern is implemented, a change staff said will be offset by the increased frequency of scheduled bulk/brush collection under the chosen option.