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Republic Services requests 10% rate increase; Prineville schedules public hearing for June 25
Summary
Republic Services told the Prineville City Council it is seeking a 10% garbage-rate increase and provided updated financial projections. The council set a required public hearing for June 25; no decision was made tonight.
Courtney Voss, municipal manager for Republic Services in Central Oregon, told the Prineville City Council on June 11 that the company is formally requesting a 10% increase in residential garbage rates and has submitted updated 2024 projections and 2023 actuals to city staff and the franchise committee. The council did not vote on the request tonight; under the franchise ordinance a public hearing will be held on June 25 and a resolution to adopt or deny a rate change will follow the hearing.
Voss said the company has implemented measures to address recent service problems, including a credit program for missed pickups and increased local staffing. She described a process under which customers who report a missed service will receive a makeup pickup within 24 hours; if Republic fails to perform, the customer receives a calculated credit rather than a flat amount. Voss also said Republic will reopen a staffed Prineville office five days a week beginning July 1 and named a local contract administrator, Cheyenne, who will handle in-person transactions and service changes.
Council members pressed Republic on the drivers behind the requested increase. Voss and a councilor referenced recent landfill cost increases in Crook County and said Republic’s projections assume a county disposal increase effective July 1, 2024; one council participant cited a landfill rate moving from $60 to $62 per ton. Voss said disposal and recycling costs (some recycling/disposal handled out of county) are pass-through costs that raise company operating costs.
Republic also told the council it will resume annual mailings to customers, including a recycle guide and service schedule, to comply with Oregon Department of Environmental Quality notification and education requirements. Councilors and residents who spoke during the discussion thanked Republic for recent improvements while noting that occasional missed pickups remain a concern.
Next steps: the council will hold a public hearing on June 25 to receive public testimony and then may adopt a resolution acting on the rate request. No vote was taken at the June 11 meeting.
