Clayton County commissioners rescind planned mandatory countywide curbside trash program after questions on costs and collection

The Clayton County Board of Commissioners voted on Feb. 21 to rescind adoption of a county's commission-district delivery plan for mandatory countywide curbside garbage and solid-waste collection in unincorporated areas (resolution 2025-27).

County staff told commissioners the earlier request-for-proposal (RFP) process had expired and would need to be reissued to restart the program. At the meeting staff said the original locked-in price had been $19 per month per household under the prior procurement; county staff noted the extension on the RFP had expired in mid-February and the procurement would need to start over.

The board's discussion focused on implementation details: how startup and administrative costs would be recovered, whether collection fees would be placed on tax bills, and what protections would exist for residents on fixed incomes. Several commissioners questioned using the tax-commissioner's office as the billing conduit and said that adding collection costs to the tax bill could require additional county personnel and would itself be a cost to residents.

Public comments at the meeting reflected the split in views. Multiple speakers said mandatory pickup could reduce litter and save some homeowners money compared with private subscriptions; others warned that a county-imposed collection fee added to property tax bills would be regressive. "It looks like another tax increase," longtime resident Mickey Garber said during public comment, arguing many households already pay for private service and that absentee landlords are a major source of street-side trash.

The board approved the resolution to rescind the plan by voice vote. County staff said that if the board wants to pursue mandatory collection again, the county would need to issue a new RFP, evaluate responsive proposals and return to the board for a contract award and ordinance or policy adoption.

What the staff said about cost and procurement Staff explained the previous RFP had included an extension through Feb. 14 and that the original vendor price the board had been shown earlier was $19 per month per household; staff said that figure would have covered a set level of service across district-based contracts but that the technical procurement and any price guarantees lapsed when the extension period ended. "It was 19 per month," a county procurement official said during the discussion.

Next steps Commissioners left open the option to revisit mandatory collection after reissuing an RFP and completing additional policy work, including decisions on billing method, exemptions and how to address nonpaying properties. The board did not adopt an implementing ordinance at the Feb. 21 meeting; the resolution rescinding the prior plan passed and staff said they would return with options if the board requests further work.