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Rosemead council raises contract-compliance concerns with Republic Services, staff cites about $240,000 in billing discrepancies
Summary
Councilmembers pressed Republic Services over missed bulky-item pickups, graffiti on commercial bins and mattresses left on city streets. City staff said an internal review identified roughly $240,000 in potential overcharges and will send the contractor a notice with 10 days to respond; the council asked staff to return with detailed complaint data.
Rosemead city officials pressed Republic Services on service shortfalls and possible overbilling at the council's regular meeting. Councilmember Stephen Lee said he had repeatedly seen bulky items and mattresses left on streets and graffiti on commercial trash bins, and he asked whether those failures were covered by the city's contract with the hauler.
City staff (Sam) told the council the city’s review has identified about $240,000 in discrepancies in commercial billing. "240,000 is what we're looking at right now," Sam said, and staff said the city would send Republic Services a formal notice after the meeting and give the company 10 days to respond and explain the differences.
Lee said the item was placed on the agenda to check whether Republic Services is meeting its contractual obligations and to seek remediation rather than immediate termination. He said residents who pay for service should expect reliable pickup and rapid removal of graffiti and bulky items. Councilmembers asked staff to compile complaint-record data (CRM logs and call-center records) showing when calls were made and how quickly the company responded.
Staff told the council that drivers and the city's maintenance crews are expected to report graffiti on bins and that the contract requires prompt graffiti abatement and bulky-item pickup; the city’s apparent problem is timeliness and missed pickups. Councilmember Lee asked that the item be returned to the council agenda on May 26 with the compiled data and the contractor’s response, so the council can consider what contractual remedies, if any, are warranted.
The council did not vote on a formal penalty or contract change at the meeting. City staff said the next steps are to issue a notice to Republic Services, receive and review its response within the 10-day window, then return the matter to the council with documentation of complaints, response times and the billing-review findings.
What this means: Residents who believe bulky items or graffiti have not been addressed should continue to report issues to the city's customer service system so staff can document response times. The council directed staff to collect objective records to evaluate compliance and any financial remedies.
