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Citrus Heights Council opts for 60‑day negotiation with Republic Services, keeps RFP as fallback
Summary
After hours of public comment and testimony from local haulers and community groups, the City Council directed staff to enter a 60‑day negotiation with incumbent Republic Services over the city’s residential waste contract and asked staff to return with a term sheet; council said it will issue an RFP if negotiations fail.
Citrus Heights — The City Council on Nov. 12 directed staff to begin a 60‑day negotiation period with Republic Services over the city’s exclusive residential solid‑waste franchise while preserving the option to issue a full request for proposals (RFP) in March if an acceptable agreement is not reached.
Mary Poole, general services staff, told the council the incumbent contract covers roughly 27,000 residential accounts at an average monthly rate of about $33 and includes weekly garbage and organics, every‑other‑week recycling, curbside oil/battery collection, appointment sharps pickup and an annual neighborhood cleanup program. The contract also incorporates SB 1383 compliance and other administrative duties. Poole said negotiation could deliver some service improvements more quickly than a yearlong procurement process, while an RFP would test the market and invite new approaches.
Council members said they weighed cost, continuity and possibilities for innovation. Councilmember Schafer argued for going straight to an RFP as a matter of “good governance” for a contract that will be among the city’s largest, while Mayor Kopinski Costa and others preferred giving the incumbent a short trial period to propose enhancements. Vice Mayor Lopez Ta said she favored an RFP but supported staff testing negotiations first, noting the large dollar value at stake for residents.
The council’s direction prioritizes several staff‑identified elements during negotiations: opportunities to reduce heavy‑truck impacts on streets, potential inclusion of residential street sweeping, local household hazardous waste collection events, cleaner fleet/fleet‑emissions options (additive alternates for electrification), and pilot approaches for congested neighborhoods. Staff presented an RFP timeline that would still allow a March issuance so on‑boarding would not be delayed if negotiations fail.
The meeting drew extensive public comment: local nonprofit leaders and volunteers, school staff and dozens of Republic employees and residents praised Republic Services’ community partnerships and high satisfaction survey results. Competing haulers including Atlas Disposal, GreenWaste Recovery and FCC Environmental asked the council to issue an RFP to spur competition and innovation. Republic Services’ regional general manager Colin Wallace told the council, “We do provide exceptional service” and requested a chance to collaborate during the negotiation period.
Council agreed to move forward with 60‑day negotiations, with staff returning with a term sheet for council review and with multiple '2‑by‑2' staff‑council checkpoints built into the process. If talks fail, staff will proceed with the scheduled RFP process that would aim to select a provider in 2027 for services beginning Jan. 1, 2028.
What happens next: Staff will negotiate terms with Republic Services during the 60‑day window, report back to the council with a proposed term sheet, and — if negotiations do not yield an agreement the council accepts — will issue an RFP per the March timeline presented.
