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Residents and council press Republic over missed pickups; city to gather complaint data and review contract performance
Summary
Public comment raised repeated complaints about missed trash collections by Republic; council discussed mapping complaint locations, reviewing contract terms (including Exhibit C/performance bond) and asking residents to submit addresses and photos to document problems.
Public comment at the Jan. 27 Georgetown City Council meeting included multiple complaints about Republic Services’ trash collection performance during January snow and ice events and for regular weekly pickups.
A resident described repeated missed pickups, piled debris after partial lifts and difficulty reaching customer service. Councilors said they had received similar messages from residents and asked staff what contractual enforcement options exist. City staff and the mayor said they have reviewed the franchise agreement and would gather more evidence, including a request that Republic provide complaint-location data or make mapping tools available so the city can identify problem “hot spots.”
Council directed staff to take several practical steps: ask Republic for their complaint log and routing/driver data (to create a map of missed calls), confirm the status of any performance bond (Exhibit C in the contract), and check whether the customer-facing app or notification system is fully active and being used. The mayor asked residents to forward emails and photos documenting missed pickups and street-level trash to the mayor and to copy council members so the city has a record of problems to present to the vendor.
City staff cautioned that storm events can change service schedules and create safety-related delays, but council members said the volume and repetition of complaints merited a stronger follow-up. Staff said they would analyze complaint data and return to council with the vendor’s documented responses and any proposed remedial steps or contractual remedies.
