Waste Pro asks Sanford for 6.13% inflation catch-up and clearer amendment language
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Summary
Waste Pro requested a 6.13% rate adjustment to recover CPI shortfalls caused by a 4% cap and asked the commission to add midterm amendment language; commissioners asked staff to analyze options including separating landfill pass-throughs and higher CPI caps while noting Florida procurement law limits contract duration.
Waste Pro asked the Sanford City Commission on Monday to approve contract language that would allow mid‑term amendments and to consider a 6.13% rate adjustment to recover inflation the company says was lost under the current 4% annual CPI cap.
Tim Dolan, speaking for Waste Pro, said the company has provided local jobs and community programs and that the requested adjustment would cover operating costs, employee raises and continued service. “All I'm really asking here for is a catch up to keep up what the CPI is and the cost of doing business,” Dolan told the commission during a work session presentation.
Dolan described Waste Pro's local presence — roughly 40 Sanford employees and a St. Johns operation he said has about $18 million in annual payroll — and asked the commission to add amendment language to the franchise agreement so operational or service changes, such as recycling collection methods, could be addressed during the contract term.
Commissioners pressed on how the increase would be applied and whether disposal (landfill) price increases could be treated separately. The commission’s city attorney cautioned about statutory procurement limits. “Florida statutes now states that you cannot, have a contract longer than 5 years in total,” the attorney said when asked whether the commission could extend or alter the contract beyond the current extension provisions.
Commissioners and staff discussed three options: raising the CPI cap to a higher fixed percentage (one commissioner suggested 6% as an example), separating landfill/disposal charges as a pass‑through or billing the disposal directly to the city, or allowing amendment language limited to operational changes requested by the city (not for routine rate increases). Several commissioners favored keeping a cap in place but agreed to consider a short‑term smoothing of the 6.13% adjustment so the increase would not hit residents all at once.
No formal vote was taken. The commission directed staff to return with a recommendation that evaluates the legal constraints, the effect of treating landfill fees separately, and options for phasing or capping any adjustment.
What happens next: Staff will draft options and legal language for the commission to review at a future meeting; any contract changes or rate adjustments would require a formal agenda item and, depending on the final approach, possible vote by the full commission.
