Lake Forest Park officials told the City Council on Thursday they enforced the current solid‑waste contract after a lengthy service disruption and set up temporary drop‑off service at City Hall, and they are preparing correspondence to seek performance fees from Republic Services.

City Administrator Hill told the council the disruption resumed July 21 and city staff “enforced our contract and had, drop off out here after day 7.” Hill said three trucks were present during the drop‑off, the response was well received by the public, and the city is preparing letters seeking contract penalties for the disruption and associated city staff and facility impacts. “There are some, performance fees that Republic owes the city,” she said.

Residents who spoke during public comment urged the council to consider alternatives when the franchise is rebid. Sally Yamasaki and Dana Campbell urged the city to evaluate Recology — an employee‑owned company that they said accepts materials Republic does not — and to provide residents with information about the upcoming franchise process. “We think that with the upcoming franchise…we should be thinking about whether or not we wanna try looking at other companies for our services,” Yamasaki said.

City staff said the Republic Services contract runs through Dec. 31, 2027, and the city expects to issue a request for proposals in late 2026. Administrator Hill said the last time the city ran the RFP, three haulers responded — Waste Management, Republic Services and Recology — and the process will again evaluate ability to serve, including constraints such as Lake Forest Park’s dead‑end streets and the need for smaller trucks.

On resident refunds and credits: Hill said customers will receive credits on future bills for missed service rather than direct refunds, and the timing will depend on Republic’s billing cycle. “They will see that it's not the full portion…these fees are above and separate from that,” Hill said, referring to contract penalties the city will pursue in addition to any customer credits.

Council members and staff said the city’s temporary drop‑off was widely used by residents and that, while some neighboring cities had no such option, Lake Forest Park was able to handle its local demand with the help of the town center owners who allowed use of space. Hill said staff plan to invite Republic to a work session on Aug. 14 so Republic staff can explain the cause of the disruption and the company’s response plan; Hill said a follow‑up meeting with the union representative will also be scheduled.

The council requested staff consider weekend or Saturday options in future contingency plans to help residents who work weekdays. No new franchise decision was made; staff reiterated the RFP timeline and said they would follow the standard public procurement process.