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Council adopts seven-year solid-waste fee schedule tied to new contract with Republic Services
Summary
Buckeye adopted Resolution 125 to implement a seven-year solid-waste contract with Republic Services and a fee schedule that phases increases while retaining the city’s reserve policy.
The Buckeye City Council adopted Resolution 125 to set residential solid-waste fees tied to a seven-year contract the city awarded to Republic Services. The contract, effective Dec. 1, fixes service arrangements for seven years with three one-year extension options and requires a fee schedule to cover contract costs and city administration.
Amy Murray, interim public works director, presented the proposal and said the contract was competitively bid and council awarded it to Republic Services on Nov. 19. Murray said the rate schedule includes two service tiers: automated curbside service using 96-gallon carts, and in-ground can collection for neighborhoods that use built-in collection systems. She told council the in-ground service costs more because it is not automated and “requires three times more labor than the automated service.”
Murray described the city fee component that covers environmental services, household hazardous waste, utility billing and customer service; she said the plan is intended to build toward the council-approved 60-day reserve target over the life of the contract. Staff presented benchmarking that showed Buckeye would remain in the lower half of comparable cities’ rates for 96-gallon automated service even after the increases. Murray also described elective, as-needed charges such as a $30 cart-swap fee for swaps after a 30-day grace period and a damaged-cart fee for negligent destruction of a cart; normal wear-and-tear replacements are not charged.
Council members asked procedural and operational questions, including whether neighborhood covenants require in-ground service and how those covenants would affect a conversion to automated carts. Staff and council discussed the outreach program the city and Republic Services have planned and noted a protracted effort to smooth increases so early-year impacts are modest. After discussion, council voted to adopt the fee resolution (item 5E). The motion passed on an affirmative voice vote.
