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Villa Park council approves county WISE landfill fee agreement, Miles votes no
Summary
Villa Park approved a 10‑year WISE (Waste Infrastructure System Enterprise) county agreement that raises regional tipping fees; council said the fee is a county pass‑through billed by haulers and will increase resident bills modestly; the motion passed 4–1 with Councilwoman Miles opposing.
Villa Park’s City Council approved a 10‑year Waste Infrastructure System Enterprise (WISE) agreement with Orange County that will change the county’s landfill tipping fees and, according to staff, be passed through to residents by haulers.
Alyssa, who presented the staff report, said the WISE agreement was negotiated by the Orange County City Managers Association to address rising operational, regulatory and capital costs and the closure and expansion of county landfills. "Our current contract rate with the WDA is $43.76," she said, adding that the county initially proposed "$82 in the first year" before negotiations produced lower tiered rates.
Staff and council members emphasized the mechanics of the change: the city does not set the tipping fee and that Republic Services and other haulers will bill customers for the county’s pass‑through charge. City staff said the WISE fee is separate from the annual 5% hauler adjustment residents also see each July. "This is not something Republic has done. It is the county of Orange," city staff said.
Council members asked how rejection would affect customers. Staff said if a city declined to adopt the agreement, the county could charge a higher daily/standard gate rate and haulers would bill customers accordingly. Staff estimated the per‑resident increase would be noticeable but modest (staff said estimates were under roughly $5 per billing period for many cities), pending the haulers’ updated rate sheet.
After discussion, the council moved and seconded approval. The motion passed 4–1, with Councilwoman Miles recorded in opposition.
What happens next: staff said the new tipping fee will be incorporated into haulers’ rate calculations and that residents will see the change on quarterly bills once Republic Services publishes updated rate sheets. Council members encouraged residents with billing questions to contact the hauler or the county for details on capital improvements behind the fee.
Votes at a glance: Yes — four councilmembers; No — Councilwoman Miles.
This item grows out of a county board action approved 01/27/2026; the WISE agreement requires participating cities to adopt terms by 04/30/2026 to avoid the standard gate rate, according to staff.
