Portage council meeting centers on waste-management rollout and May ballot dispute

At its March 9 meeting, the Portage City Council heard public comment and several council statements about an upcoming May ballot initiative tied to city trash service and the recent Waste Management contract rollout.

The meeting attracted sustained discussion after resident Terry Tesari used the public-comment period to note changes in city ordinances over decades and to announce: “I’m voting no on this initiative that’s gonna be before the citizens in May.” Tesari asked whether his backyard compost pile violated ordinance language and urged clearer rules for citizens seeking to comply with city codes.

A series of council members followed with remarks about the transition to a single-hauler system under the new contract. Councilmember Olmstead explained a common billing question, saying the apparent $42.12 charge reflects a three-month billing period (3 × $14.04) and that the billing frequency is noted on the bill and the city website. Councilmember Ledbetter criticized the ballot effort and Best Way, saying the company opposes posting fee schedules and raised concerns about variable pricing and the cost of a special election.

City manager McGinnis provided operational data aimed at demonstrating the rollout’s stabilization: he said the vendor recorded 577 yard-waste signups the first day, initial average hold times of a little over two minutes, and later reductions to about six seconds on day two and an average answer time of 27 seconds by the following Friday while processing 224 calls. McGinnis said staff are addressing billing hiccups, missed carts and sign-up questions, and that most issues had been resolved “usually same day.”

In closing remarks, the meeting’s presiding Mayor Pro Tem framed the contract change as a cost-saving measure for many residents and urged a no vote on the May 5 proposal intended to alter the single-hauler approach. The presiding official described a personal comparison of prior and current bills, saying his 2026 Waste Management bill broke down to roughly $168 paid in four installments — “that’s more than $100 less per year compared to what I paid Bestway last year” — and reiterated the view that the city’s competitive bidding process produced the low bid.

No formal policy action or ordinance change was adopted at the meeting; council members instructed staff to continue assisting residents with billing and service issues as the Waste Management contract rollout continues.

The council adjourned after routine business. The city has scheduled additional public outreach and staff follow-up on resident questions about billing and yard-waste signups.