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Kearney mayor warns of possible contract cancellation after persistent trash service problems
Summary
Republic Services representatives told the Kearney Board of Aldermen the company opposes adding a liquidated‑damages addendum because the contract already includes a 30‑day cure provision. Board members and the mayor reported repeated missed pickups and damaged bins and said they may cancel the contract if service does not improve.
Kearney, Mo. — The Kearney Board of Aldermen spent a substantial portion of its July 15 meeting pressing Republic Services over ongoing trash‑collection problems and weighing whether to terminate the city’s contract.
Tyler Reardon, a Republic Services representative, said the company would not accept a proposed addendum that would implement liquidated damages because "there's language in the contract already that allows the city to get out of the contract if it wishes" and the contract contains "a right to cure period of 30 days after official notice." Reardon proposed operational fixes, including having a familiar driver stop by city hall on Tuesdays to help address missed pickups.
Mayor (name not provided in the transcript) expressed frustration with recurring service failures reported by residents and city staff, listing missed pickups, damaged bins and poor customer service. The mayor said, "For me to hear that you guys are basically saying we don't give a about the city of Kearney and their residents we're not going to do what you want to do," and added that the board's recommendation could be to cancel the contract and seek other options if service does not improve.
Alderman Barker and other board members spoke in agreement with the concern that resident calls and staff follow‑up have increased city workload. Representatives from Republic said they are working to reconcile differences between calls reported to city hall and calls to Republic’s customer service and to use Tuesday resources to catch up on missed collections.
The board did not vote on a formal termination at the July 15 meeting; the mayor said staff will continue pursuing remedies and alternatives, which could include contract termination if documented service failures continue.
Next steps: City staff will continue to track missed‑pickup logs with Republic and explore contractual remedies or alternative providers; the board signaled it expects follow‑up at a future meeting.
