Mt. Healthy council holds first reading of Rumpke waste-collection contract

The Mt. Healthy City Council held a first reading of Ordinance 25-2063 on the proposed contract with Rumpke for collection, transportation and disposal or reprocessing of residential solid waste and recyclable materials. City Manager Scott told the council Rumpke was the only bidder to submit a full proposal.

Council and staff outlined the contract’s core services: weekly solid-waste pickup and weekly recycling, with an optional yard-waste collection provision that the council may include or exclude. Scott described the agreement as roughly 40 pages, with “probably only 3 or 4 pages that really matter” for daily operations.

Several council members questioned how ongoing charges tied to city-provided trash cans would be handled. An unidentified council member asked whether the $1-per-month charge that residents have paid for a city-provided brown can would continue after five years, noting “after 5 years, after 60 months, $60 per residence, we’re gonna keep paying for garbage cans.” Scott said the contract provisions determine those terms and that other municipalities handle the initial can cost differently.

Scott said staff will take up detailed pricing with the finance committee and bring recommended resident charges back to council. He scheduled a second reading of the ordinance in two weeks and suggested the finance meeting in early December would set the numbers the council will consider.

The ordinance remains at first reading and will return for formal action pending the finance review and the second reading.