Macomb Township delays liquidated-damages while Priority Waste works to stabilize service

Macomb Township trustees voted 6–1 on Wednesday, Aug. 13 to delay imposing liquidated damages on Priority Waste for 30 days while the company continues work to stabilize curbside trash, recycling and compost service.

The decision followed a public hearing in which multiple township residents described missed or late pickups dating to July and earlier. Residents reported missed collection days, late-night truck activity and difficulty getting responsive billing or customer-service support. Several residents urged the board to replace Priority Waste if service did not improve.

Priority Waste CEO Todd Stamper and the company’s general counsel, Vincent Hoiappa, answered residents’ questions and described recent operational changes. Stamper apologized for the disruption and said the company had removed older trucks from service, taken delivery of new vehicles for the township and opened a resident portal. "The team's winning, and we apologize for what you had to go through with us," Stamper said. He also told the board Priority services Macomb Township’s 25,000 customers and that the company averages roughly 5,000 houses per service day (about 15,000 stops per day across three services).

Board members discussed options after the township’s legal counsel outlined three courses of action: declare the default cured, begin calculation and assessment of liquidated damages, or extend the cure period while monitoring performance. Clerk Posey moved to delay liquidated damages for 30 days; Trustee Oliver supported the motion. The motion passed 6–1, with Trustee Cusimano voting no.

Board staff and trustees said they would continue to monitor complaint volumes and route completion data reported by Priority Waste and township staff. Township staff reminded residents that, under the contract, missed pickups must be collected by noon the next day after an eligible missed stop; the contract ties liquidated-damages calculations to missed stops that are not corrected in the contract’s specified timeframe. According to board discussion, the liquidated-damages amount is $35 per site of generation when applicable.

What happened during the hearing

Residents at the hearing described multiple missed or delayed pick-ups and difficulty reaching Priority Waste by phone or getting consistent paper billing. Examples cited at the meeting included missed pickups on July 16, July 23 and July 30, late-night collections reported near midnight or later, and complaints about rats and other neighborhood impacts. Speakers included Marlene Keane, Bogdan Ballan, Michael Koltuniak, John Palmer, John Parkinson, Sue Bridal and Susan Schmidt Madsen.

Company response and board oversight

Stamper said Priority scrapped roughly 200 older trucks from a 550-truck fleet, has put new trucks into service in the township, and rolled out a customer portal for residents and township staff. He acknowledged phone- and billing-related problems during the transition and said the company is reworking phone routing so that billing calls from single-bill communities will be handled differently to reduce call volume. Stamper also said the company maintains spare trucks and does not anticipate staffing problems for fall leaf collection.

Trustees emphasized they expect measurable improvement and said the township will continue monitoring service data the company provides and the township’s complaint portal. Trustee Cusimano said she remained skeptical and voted against the 30-day delay; other trustees said they preferred to allow the company time to demonstrate consistent improvement before beginning liquidated-damages calculations.

Next steps

The board will review Priority Waste’s performance at a meeting in approximately 30 days. If the township determines the contract cure is not sufficient at that time, the board may begin assessing liquidated damages per the contract or take other contract remedies discussed by legal counsel.