Metropolitan Council approves ordinance to create Department of Waste Services, 6-0 as amended

The Metropolitan Council voted 6-0 to adopt an ordinance creating a standalone Metropolitan Government Department of Waste Services, approving the measure as amended to add reporting requirements.

Council members and department staff said the new department will pull waste collection and related functions out of other agencies and stand up operations, technology and oversight to improve service delivery. "The current budget has 23,500,000,000.0 in contracted services," Tracy Thurman, director of Waste Services, said during the meeting; she added the department will pursue revenue and efficiency opportunities while maintaining contracted work.

The amendment added at the meeting requires regular reporting on the new department’s operations; speakers referred to the reports as annual or quarterly during discussion. Council member Berkeley introduced the amendment and a motion to adopt the ordinance as amended was moved and seconded; the final vote was recorded as six in favor.

Why it matters: The ordinance consolidates functions that previously were handled under Public Works and other agencies, and it creates a distinct department responsible for collection, disposal coordination, recycling and related field operations. Thurman said the department will include roughly 30 positions in the initial budget, including about 10 drivers and additional compliance and program-management staff to provide more field supervision and accountability.

Thurman described a technology and routing build-out the department plans to complete after the ordinance takes effect. "Routing has not been done in over seven years and probably a more complete routing hasn't been done in 15 years," Thurman said. The department plans to geocode containers, equip trucks and drivers with routing tools and add actuators on truck arms to verify service events.

Speakers at the meeting also described the two-district structure that governs trash service across Metro. Under the charter discussed at the meeting, the General Service District (GSD) is covered for disposal (the convenience centers), while the Urban Service District (USD) receives both collection and disposal. Thurman said convenience centers accept up to three bags per visit for GSD residents at no charge and that Metro operates four convenience centers; staff identified Trinity Lane and Bordeaux as examples during the discussion. A fourth-bag fee applies at those facilities.

Several council members and attendees raised concerns about efficiency, management layers and whether Metro-provided service would be cheaper or better than private contractors. One speaker said they had reservations about creating a separate department but said they would support the ordinance while urging efficiency and limited management layers. Other comments recalled Red River’s bankruptcy in a prior term and noted the current mix of contractors existed to avoid relying on a single provider.

Thurman and others said contracted services already make up a substantial portion of the waste budget and that the department will explore waste-generator fees and recycling opportunities to offset costs. The exact contracted-services figure Thurman cited in the meeting (23,500,000,000.0) was stated on the record but not independently verified during the session.

The ordinance’s effective date and implementation timeline were not specified during the discussion. Council members said committee review and further amendments may follow as staff proceed with the build-out, routing updates and service adjustments.

The council approved the ordinance as amended by voice vote, recorded as six in favor; no roll-call vote listing individual votes was provided in the transcript.