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Agoura Hills council votes to pursue negotiations with Waste Management on residential contract
Summary
The council voted 5–0 to instruct staff to negotiate an extension with Waste Management for the city’s residential and multifamily solid-waste franchise, while retaining the option to issue an RFP if talks fail. Staff said the current contract expires 06/30/2027.
Agoura Hills — The City Council voted unanimously Wednesday to direct staff to negotiate a new residential franchise agreement with Waste Management (WM) while keeping a competitive RFP option on the table should negotiations fail.
Assistant City Manager Ramiro Adeva told the council the city’s exclusive residential franchise with WM expires on June 30, 2027, and outlined two paths: a negotiated extension (about six months) or a full RFP process (about 12 months). Adeva said negotiations would allow continuity of service and time to pivot to an RFP if necessary.
Council members cited service reliability and cost to residents in their deliberations. “We pay 29.35 for 64 gallons compared to Thousand Oaks’ 27.21,” Council member Anderson said during discussion, noting price differences the city will factor into negotiations. Waste Management representatives urged the council to choose the negotiation route. Justin Hansinger, representing WM, said the company performs roughly 816,000 lifts a year in Agoura Hills and serves more than 5,300 residential customers with what he described as a “99.9% service accuracy rate.” District manager Steve Lee, who said he has served the city for 28 years, told the council he supports Option 1 so WM can continue to provide service.
Several council members said negotiating will not foreclose competition. “Option 1 does not preclude Option 2,” Council member Klein Lopez said; if negotiations fail the city could still go to an RFP and allow other vendors to bid. Council members also asked staff and WM for rate-modeling and scenario analyses so the council can weigh potential rate increases that could affect residents.
The motion to pursue Option 1 was moved by Council member Chris Anstead and approved by roll-call vote, 5–0. Staff will return with negotiation parameters, proposed contract terms and rate scenarios for council review.
Next steps: Staff will begin good-faith talks with WM while preparing contingency plans for a possible RFP process. No changes to the contract will take effect before the current contract’s expiration on June 30, 2027.
