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City Council approves Waste Management rate increase amid service concerns
Summary
Newberg City Council voted unanimously June 15 to approve Waste Management’s proposed rate increase (Resolution 2026-433). Councilors expressed ongoing service complaints, pressed WM for a compactor timeline and discussed sending letters to DEQ and state representatives to speed facility permitting.
The Newberg City Council approved a Waste Management rate increase on a voice vote June 15, adopting Resolution 2026-433 after hearing the company’s rate presentation and extended council deliberation.
Waste Management representatives said the requested change updates rates discussed at the May 18 meeting and reflects operational pressures. Jason Willie, Newberg operations, told council WM’s residential customer base rose from 6,712 in 2025 to 6,731 in 2026 but that volumes have increased substantially after regional disposal changes. "We're currently getting bids for [a compactor]," he said, adding WM expects to get pricing after a contractor visit next week and that the company is pursuing DEQ approval to expand the site.
Councilors stressed continued service problems at the transfer station and urged faster fixes. "I’m going to support the rate increase tonight," Councilor Elise said, but warned she had heard many resident complaints about long hold times, missed returns and lengthy on-site wait times for drop-offs. Multiple councilors urged WM to accelerate compactor procurement and to clarify whether proposed site expansion would reduce wait times.
WM staff said DEQ review remains the primary regulatory hold-up and that the department has up to four months to act on the firm's permit application. WM said a compactor would reduce on-site dwell times by increasing throughput, but officials could not give an exact installation timeframe without bids.
Council also discussed whether the city should send a letter to DEQ and copy state legislative contacts to support faster permitting and flagged the upcoming contract negotiation window (the current contract negotiation period was cited as 2028). Despite the concerns, councilors said they wanted to maintain service while addressing performance issues through the next contract cycle.
The motion to adopt Resolution 2026-433 passed unanimously on a voice vote.
Council action leaves the company to pursue the improvement timeline it described and directs staff to continue monitoring service performance and regulatory progress.
The city clerk recorded the resolution as 2026-433 and the vote was taken by voice; WM said it would follow up with pricing and timeline information for the compactor and any required permit steps.
