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Resident urges city to address missed garbage pickups, cites limits of third‑class‑city contract
Summary
At public comment Susie Roselle criticized missed pickups by the contracted hauler, asked about refunds and whether residents can choose other vendors; staff and the solicitor explained that as a third‑class city the municipality must contract with a single hauler and that remedies for missed pickups are contractual.
During the public‑comment portion of the July 17 Connellsville council meeting, resident Susie Roselle described repeated missed garbage and recycling pickups and urged the city to enforce accountability under the municipal hauling contract.
Roselle said her garbage was not collected after a holiday, that she repeatedly telephoned city contacts and the hauler with no satisfactory remedy, and that city staff told her they would message collectors but could not guarantee pickup. "I'm paying for a service. It should be. I will send someone out today to get it. When nobody picked it up, I called the very next day," Roselle said. She told council she expected at least a refund or a penalty when pickups were missed and said animals tore into uncollected bags in the alley.
Council members and the solicitor responded on the record. The mayor and staff explained that Connellsville is a third‑class city under Pennsylvania law and that, under that structure, the city must contract for collection rather than allow each household to pick private vendors. Solicitor Tim said remedies for a hauler’s repeated failure would be breach‑of‑contract actions and potential rebidding, but he warned terminating a contract can leave the city required to provide service and that rebidding can be legally and operationally complicated.
Roselle asked whether residents can withhold payment or sue the hauler directly; Tim said suing the hauler would be difficult but possible, and staff explained that the municipal authority — which bills residents in‑house — collects and pays the hauler so withholding can produce a lien or other municipal consequences.
Staff said the city plans to rebid the contract later this year and that the bidding process has been adjusted to attract more bidders (for example, in‑house billing changed to improve cash flow for vendors). Council members acknowledged frustration and said they will seek to include accountability provisions in future bids where possible but cautioned that strict penalty provisions in past solicitations had discouraged bidders.
Why it matters: residents who rely on weekly collection face health and nuisance problems from missed pickups; the city's procurement rules and statutory limits on contracting for third‑class cities shape residents’ options.
No formal motion resulted from Roselle’s comments; council noted the matter is part of regular contract management and the upcoming rebid process.
