Rancho Santa Margarita council hears CR&R service review after resident complaints; company vows fixes for 2025

City officials and contractor representatives faced detailed questioning Wednesday after a city-ordered customer satisfaction survey found resident satisfaction with solid-waste services at 76%, below the 90% target in the city—s franchise agreement.

Environmental Programs Coordinator Andrea Hohanassian told the Rancho Santa Margarita City Council the amended franchise agreement (entered Dec. 8, 2021) requires a performance review when complaints rise; staff logged 85 reported incidents between July and December 2024, 38 of which were deemed actionable and the largest category involved collection reliability. Andrea said some misroutes affected large numbers of households and staff invoked the contract—s section 7.1 survey requirement to request CR&R—s presentation.

Julie, a senior representative of CR&R, told the council the company found a mix of causes for missed pickups, including driver error, equipment breakdowns and staffing shortfalls. She said CR&R hired Michael Liedelmeyer as area vice president of operations in August 2024, added route managers and four mechanics, replaced several vehicles in May 2024 and is recruiting a shop maintenance supervisor. She described a new mandatory check-in for drivers, a same-or-next-day recovery goal (by 9 a.m. the following day) for missed collections, spill‑response protocols and daily review processes.

Julie also described fleet-age provisions in the 2021 contract: the average fleet age threshold effective Dec. 31, 2024 is seven years and no single truck may be older than 10. She said CR&R—s current average fleet age is six years, with two trucks scheduled for replacement next year, and that the company is building a new San Juan facility with CNG fueling to open in June 2026 to reduce fuel- and vehicle-related delays.

Council members pressed for clearer root-cause analysis of the August 2024 spike (85 reported misses), whether misses were primarily equipment or human‑error driven, and what remedies the city could impose. CR&R—s representative said the August problems coincided with management turnover and vehicle issues, estimated causes roughly split between breakdowns and human error, and said CR&R has contractual accountability mechanisms including fines and fleet‑age enforcement. The representative said fines would go to the city—s general fund and emphasized that operational fixes (management changes and new vehicles) are the primary remedy.

Councilmember Holloway asked for a focused postmortem of August 2024; CR&R said it would follow up with staff on a month‑by‑month breakdown. Councilmember Barrett confirmed postcards will be sent to all service addresses (including customers billed electronically) describing options such as the 10% senior discount (head of household 65+), free annual cart exchanges and how to request service via phone or live chat.

CR&R said state laws requiring diversion and organics programs, notably SB 1383, have increased operational workload by requiring "route reviews" and enforcement to reduce contamination, along with procurement and compost targets. The company said it is meeting recycling compliance metrics and is working with an anaerobic digester to convert organics to compost and renewable natural gas.

Mayor Beal thanked CR&R for its presentation and tone; the company said its goal is to restore the city—s prior level of service in 2025 and that it will provide enhanced outreach materials for the city—s social media and a postcard mailer. The council did not take formal enforcement action during the meeting; staff characterized the item as a receiving file and said they would return with any recommended direction after follow-up analysis.

Provenance: Presentation and Q&A occurred during New Business item 7.1; topic appears beginning with staff overview (Andrea Hohanassian) and CR&R presentation and council Q&A.