Tulsa staff propose 4% trash rate increase as city rebids long-term hauling contract

Tulsa's Budget Committee heard a presentation on anticipated fiscal year 2026 trash collection fees and service changes, including a proposed 4% rate increase and a planned competitive procurement for the city's hauling contract.

A staff designee to the director of public works said the city will issue a hard RFP for the hauling contract in June, receive bids in August and execute the successor contract October 1, 2026; the current hauling contract expires September 30, 2026. The staff member said the forthcoming hauling agreement is expected to be a 10-year contract with renewals to provide multi-decade stability for solid-waste services.

The increase and the contract schedule matter because most large solid-waste services in Tulsa are contracted and many of those contracts use an inflation escalation (CPI) clause capped at 5%. "We are proposing a 4% rate increase," the presenter said, noting the city modeled 3% ongoing inflation in the rate forecast and that last year's proposal had been 5% before adjustments in fund balance.

Why it matters

City staff said contract escalation tied to CPI accounts for much of the year-to-year growth in the solid-waste budget. Staff estimated municipal…