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Residents press council on missed yard‑waste pickups; staff and Waste Management to be invited back
Summary
Residents and at least one council member reported ongoing problems with yard‑waste and bulky‑pickup service. Staff said the city forwards requests to Waste Management but that the contractor requires resident call‑in for some pickups; council asked staff to invite Waste Management to the next meeting to discuss service and communication.
Multiple residents and Councilmembers raised concerns about missed yard‑waste and bulky‑pickup collections and gaps in the contractor’s service and customer notification.
Resident Mark Albert described frequent truck and equipment activity at Hammock Lakes Park and asked how the city will prevent unauthorized vehicle access and stabilize public use of a maintenance entry path. Council staff said the material at the park was a temporary mulch pile moved there while the city cleared debris for an unrelated project, and that crews are removing it as trucks and staff are available.
At the same time, Deputy Mayor Pat Bentley and others reported numerous private‑property yard‑waste piles that remain uncollected despite repeated reports. Staff and council described the city’s current process: residents may call or submit requests online for clam‑truck pickup, and city staff will add requests to the contractor’s work queue; however, Waste Management will not pick up loose piles unless the resident has requested a special collection or the pile meets collection standards. Council said that communication gaps and driver practices have left piles uncollected in several neighborhoods.
The nut graf: Council asked staff to invite Waste Management to a future council meeting to explain pickup rules, timetables and tracking, and to propose a better feedback loop so callers know pickup timing. Staff said the city has been working one‑on‑one with the contractor but will seek a public discussion and report back.
Council also discussed outreach to residents about when to place yard waste in the brown cart versus when to schedule bulky pickup and asked staff to include clearer instructions in city communications rather than rely solely on the contractor’s processes.
Action: Council agreed to request Waste Management’s attendance at an upcoming meeting and instructed staff to assemble service complaints and examples so the city and contractor can present a consolidated response and proposed fixes.
