Board approves Adams Sanitation contract with audit option, adds $5 million performance bond

The Columbia County Board of County Commissioners voted to approve a contract with Adams Sanitation Holding Company to provide solid-waste collection services and added a county option to audit franchise-fee reporting as part of the final contract terms.

Staff said the contract award followed a review of Adams’ capacity and that the county negotiated an additional $5,000,000 performance bond to address service and performance concerns. Commissioners asked how the county ensures it is receiving the full 12% franchise fee on commercial sales; staff and the vendor representative said the contract will include reporting and that future submissions will include lists tying commercial accounts to business tax receipts so the county can validate franchise payments.

One commissioner asked why the board should approve the contract while Waste Pro litigation is pending; staff said the existing Waste Pro contract expires in September and that operational ramp-up consideration argued for approving a successor now to allow time for vendor preparation. The board approved the contract with the audit option included; staff said the county would trigger audits only if concerns arise and that the county would bear the audit cost.

What’s next: staff will finalize contract language to include the county’s audit option and proceed with implementation and oversight as the new contract begins. Any future audit triggers and findings would be reported back to the board.