Covington council authorizes staff to finalize solid waste contract with Republic Services after public comment and debate

Covington City Council on Tuesday authorized staff to move forward on finalizing a solid waste collection contract with Republic Services, including two contract alternatives: a 12-year term and an alternative service-fee escalation component.

The vote followed a public comment period in which local nonprofit, business and hauler representatives urged the council to consider both price and service. "The Republic Service has given the Storehouse a grant that's helped most the people of Covington who are the most vulnerable," said Stephanie Lawson, director of the Storehouse. "I believe it's in the best interest of the city, for the city to have Republic Service as continued as our garbage service."

The Covington Chamber and local businesses also recommended staying with Republic, citing smaller projected increases and continuity of service. "We respectfully urge the Covington City Council to select Republic Services as the city's solid waste collection provider for another term," said Dana Noots on behalf of the Covington Chamber and Covington Business Community.

Representatives of competing haulers also spoke. Alyssa Campbell, government and community relations manager at Recology King County, noted the company’s customer-satisfaction record: "Our customer service satisfaction score... was an average of 4.4 out of 5 rating across the 12 municipalities in King County that we serve." Jim Hutchinson, director of municipal services for Republic in the Northwest, said Republic is "dedicated to making sure that whatever new opportunity we may develop, we do it together," and offered to negotiate contract details with city staff.

Council members spent time clarifying cost and eligibility details for a proposed low-income discount. Jeanette Jurgensen of Bendair Consulting, who is assisting the city on procurement, explained that discount eligibility would be tied to the King County property-tax exemption program: "The residents who would get this discount would have to qualify for the King County property tax exemption. So they would apply through that and then provide proof to the hauler." Jurgensen also said renters and multifamily properties would not qualify under that approach.

Staff provided specific figures used in the city's pricing comparisons. Using a 32-gallon cart as a baseline, staff said the estimated monthly increase amounts used in the evaluation were about 13¢ per month for Recology, 67¢ per month for Republic Services and 34¢ per month for Waste Management. Staff said those figures were distributed across the customer base (about 6,000 residential customers) when modeling impacts. Council members noted those monthly increases translate to roughly $1 to $5 per year when annualized, depending on the provider and service level.

Councilmember Christina moved to authorize staff to finalize a contract with Republic Services to include the two alternatives (a 12-year contract and alternative service-fee escalation). The motion was seconded and carried. The mayor recused from discussion on the item and Mayor Pro Tem Smith presided during the discussion and vote.

Council members and staff emphasized that the contract solicitation and negotiation include service-level agreements and key performance indicators to address prior service concerns, with provisions for penalties or remedies if required performance standards are not met. Councilmembers said price was a major factor for many residents and businesses, while acknowledging follow-up work would be needed to ensure satisfactory service under the new agreement.

Implementation steps discussed include final negotiations between staff and the selected hauler and incorporation of contract alternatives; staff will return to the council if additional approvals are needed as negotiations proceed.

The action authorizes staff to finalize the contract; the contract itself and final terms will be completed through staff-led negotiations and returned to council as required by the city’s contracting processes.

Ending: Council approved the procurement direction and instructed staff to continue negotiations and to return with any required contract approvals or adjustments.