Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Solid Waste Rates topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Waste Management asks Newberg council to OK 3.74% rate increase, outlines transfer-station expansion
Summary
Waste Management presented its 2025 annual report and requested a 3.74% rate increase for 2026, citing higher disposal and fuel costs and a planned transfer-station expansion that requires state and county permits; the company and council agreed to return with the rate for a formal vote at the next meeting.
Waste Management representatives told the Newberg City Council on May 18 that rising disposal, fuel and labor costs, plus investments at the local transfer station, support a requested 3.74% increase in customer rates beginning July 1, 2026 if the council approves the change.
“We are projecting...a 6.64% return on revenue,” Waste Management pricing analyst Meg Gallagher said, and the company is asking the city to approve a 3.74% rate adjustment to move toward what it described as a reasonable rate of return. Waste Management said the increase would add roughly a dollar a month for common household service sizes.
The presentation outlined local operations and service levels: about 6,731 residential customers, a roughly 50% participation rate in subscription glass service, and 555 commercial accounts. District manager Jason Willie described planned improvements at the Newberg transfer station — adding inbound lanes, creating a dedicated outbound lane, and extended summer hours — intended to ease congestion and improve safety for employees and customers.
Willie said the company submitted a permit change request to the state regulator that allows up to six months for a decision; Waste Management reported that request had been pending about nine weeks at the time of the meeting and that staff hope to break ground in early August with completion by fall. The company also said hauling was shifted to its Columbia Ridge landfill after a nearby facility raised disposal rates.
Councilors asked practical questions about timing and the franchise relationship. Waste Management said its franchise agreement with the city runs through Sept. 30, 2028, and clarified that last year’s 8.6% increase (effective July 1, 2025) remains in effect; the newly requested change would be additional if approved. Councilor McBride and others noted the cumulative nature of recent increases on household bills.
No formal council vote on the new rate took place May 18; staff and company representatives said they expected the ordinance or rate adjustment to return for formal consideration at the next council session after any follow-up questions and review.
