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Commission delays vote on Waste Management franchise amendment after commercial-rate concerns
Summary
After extended discussion about steep commercial-rate increases and supplemental fees under the new 10-year franchise, the commission voted to continue the solid-waste franchise amendment to the first meeting in January for further negotiation with Waste Management and staff.
County staff and a Waste Management representative briefed the Board of County Commissioners on Dec. 9 about a second amendment to the county’s solid-waste franchise agreement. The amendment would codify previously discussed changes: allowing HOA opt-outs for yard-waste cart delivery, extending the deadline for cart swaps and modifying supplemental commercial fees.
Staff described concessions Waste Management agreed to during negotiations, including waiving a previously proposed $10 per-cart rollout fee for recycling carts and changing gate fees from a per-event charge to a capped monthly charge with a five-gate maximum in many multifamily settings. Staff also said Waste Management agreed to refund certain retroactive fees after verifying written customer consent for supplemental services.
Commissioners raised concerns about commercial rate increases — staff noted commercial accounts saw rate adjustments of roughly 92–93% under the new contract — and asked how much the negotiated supplemental-fee reductions would reduce the overall commercial-rate burden. Waste Management representatives said some concessions had been implemented but that other requested changes would require corporate approval.
Because several details remained unresolved (notably whether the county could waive delivery fees for 5,000 prepaid yard-waste carts and the net commercial-rate impact after concessions), commissioners voted to continue the franchise amendment to the board’s first January meeting to permit further negotiations and follow-up by staff and Waste Management.
