Council approves amendment to Republic Services franchise to recognize Martin Luther King Jr. Day after missed pickups

Staff presented a first amendment to the city’s franchise agreement with Republic Services that would formally designate Martin Luther King Jr. Day as a recognized service holiday after Republic suspended collection on Jan. 19, 2026 without prior written authorization as required by the agreement.

Staff told the council that Republic acknowledged the service interruption and agreed to prepare the amendment at its sole expense and present it to the council along with an acknowledgement of the service error. Staff recommended approving the amendment to provide clarity on holiday service schedules and to refrain from assessing liquidated damages in recognition of Republic’s corrective action.

Council members asked whether missed residential and commercial collections were made up; staff said residential collections were made up for the remainder of the week and Republic (represented at the meeting) confirmed that commercial routes were also made up. The council moved, seconded and voted unanimously to approve the first amendment and the staff recommendation not to assess liquidated damages related to the Jan. 19 service interruption.

Why it matters: the amendment clarifies the contract’s holiday schedule to help prevent future unauthorized service suspensions and addresses resident concerns about missed collections.

Next steps: staff will finalize the amendment document and Republic will implement the revised holiday schedule under the franchise terms.