Fall River council presses administration after surprise increases to trash contract; several transfers rejected

Fall River councilors on the finance committee sharply questioned city officials this week after a series of contract amendments and disposal changes produced significant unbudgeted solid-waste costs.

Councilors said they learned only after costs rose that the city had amended contracts with EZ Disposal and arranged temporary disposal with Crapo Hill and other facilities; the finance team told councilors higher recycling disposal fees and changes in disposal vendors drove a faster-than-expected rise in the city’s trash budget.

The dispute centered on an amendment to EZ Disposal’s contract signed in September–October of the prior year. Matthew Thomas, a special counsel who advised the city on the contracts, told the committee the city negotiated stopgap disposal arrangements and an amendment “to avoid defaults” after vendors threatened to stop service. He said the amendment increased collection costs by about $173,000 a month for the remainder of fiscal 2025 and by roughly $278,000 in fiscal 2026 compared with the original contract terms. “We were actually looking for vehicles to do it ourselves,” Thomas said, describing a scenario in which the…