Committee recommends Harter’s for refuse and recycling; favors seven‑year contract to send to finance

The Wausau Public Health and Safety Committee on Sept. 15 recommended that the Finance Committee develop a contract with Harter’s for curbside refuse and recycling service, selecting a seven‑year term.

Mary Ann, the staff member who led the city’s request for proposals, told the committee the city received two proposals — Harter’s and Waste Management — and that GFL declined to bid. Harter’s submitted the low proposal at $11.50 per household per month, broken down as $7.65 for refuse and $3.85 for recycling, compared with the city’s expiring contract rate of $8.29 per household. Mary Ann said the existing contract expires March 31, 2026, and noted the RFP used the same automated carted collection system the city uses now.

The recommendation matters because refuse and recycling contract terms directly affect household fees, the municipal budget and service continuity for residents. Committee members discussed the tradeoff between locking in a longer term for price predictability and keeping flexibility to adopt new services such as curbside composting or other service changes.

Mary Ann told the committee that Harter’s had offered 7‑ and 10‑year proposals; the committee discussed the benefit of price‑stability over longer terms versus the desire to remain flexible to change services as sustainability options evolve. Committee member Watson moved to recommend a seven‑year contract with Harter’s; Lukens seconded. The committee voted unanimously to send a recommendation for a seven‑year commitment with Harter’s to the Finance Committee for incorporation into the 2026 budget process.

Mary Ann provided additional contract context: the city’s total annual charge for the current contract is about $1.4 million; when the automated carted collection was first negotiated in 2015, she said the city had been paying approximately $1.8 million, illustrating how the system reduced costs previously. She also outlined potential price adjustments in the proposals: Harter’s proposed CPI adjustments and a fuel price adjustment if diesel exceeds $4 per gallon; Waste Management’s proposal included CPI and a landfill increase provision.

Committee members asked about alternate services, including curbside composting and whether a future move from levy funding to a flat per-household charge merits discussion in Finance. Mary Ann said Harter’s indicated willingness to consider pilot curbside composting if demand exists, but that curbside composting would likely be offered as a private subscription or pilot before any citywide change. The committee’s motion asked Finance to prepare contract language and budget lines for a seven‑year contract and to consider implementation timing so that any vendor change would occur after winter and outside holiday cart delivery season.

Next steps: Finance will evaluate the recommendation and draft contract language and budget adjustments for the 2026 fiscal plan. The committee’s recommendation included asking Finance to weigh whether trash fees should remain on the levy or move to a per-household charge in later budget discussions.