Rowlett council approves amended Republic Services contract to resume more frequent bulk pickup; city to subsidize interim cost

The Rowlett City Council on May 6 approved a first amendment to the city’s solid waste collection contract with Republic Services to restore weekly bulk/brush pickup with a 2-cubic-yard limit per collection, with the service slated to begin June 30.

Council members voted 4-1 to authorize the change and directed staff to educate residents about the new schedule and to negotiate additional seasonal pickup terms with Republic Services.

The change stems from months of public feedback and staff negotiations after the city and Republic proposed alternatives to a prior once-a-month program. Deputy City Manager Christophe Bauer said the amendment reduces the eligible volume from the earlier 8 cubic yards once a month to 2 cubic yards weekly to make routine pickup predictable and to limit large, irregular loads.

“ If your council supports this, then this new service would start on June 30,” Bauer said during the council discussion. He told council the city will subsidize the difference between the higher service cost and current customer rates through the end of the fiscal year and present rate options during the October budget process.

Resident Pat Caracostas, who spoke during citizens input, called for council attention to the fee for additional pickups and said the $12 per cubic yard extra-pickup charge should be reconsidered now that trucks will be on residential streets more frequently. “Going from 8 yards once a month, to 2 yards once a week, it certainly is a move in the right direction,” Caracostas said, “but when we have the leafing twice a year … it will remain a problem.”

Republic Services representative Rick Bernas explained the company’s operational limits for large-volume collections and the purpose of the per-cubic-yard charge for loads that require larger equipment. “When you start looking at volumes … that’s where the $12 per yard come in,” Bernas said, describing how rear-loader trucks handle smaller loads and larger boom trucks are used for high-volume pickups.

Council discussion also flagged the possibility of a short seasonal window to expand allowable pickup volume. Bauer said staff and Republic discussed a 4-to-6-week seasonal period — likely late fall into winter — during which the city would pay an agreed rate and Republic would increase the per-house pickup allowance (for example to 4 cubic yards) to handle yard debris during peak leaf or storm seasons. Council asked staff to return with final terms for any such amendment.

Bauer told council the contract scenarios presented to members assume the CPI-based increase (4.98%) and that the city would cover interim costs from fund balance until October 1, when new rates would be set during the budget process. Council members asked staff to quantify road-maintenance impacts from increased truck trips and to examine potential premium or subscription-style options for households that regularly generate large volumes.

Direction from the meeting: staff will begin resident outreach and implementation steps for the June 30 start date, negotiate the seasonal-window amendment and price with Republic Services, and present a full rate analysis in the October budget process.

The transcript shows public comment and staff presentation across multiple agenda points, and the council action recorded at the May 6 meeting authorized the city manager to execute the first amendment with Republic Services as discussed.