Wolverine Lake keeps Priority Waste on agenda after repeated missed pickups

Wolverine Lake — Council members on July 8 voted to keep ongoing service problems with Priority Waste on future agendas after hearing that staff has begun soliciting alternatives and that residents must help document missed pickups.

At the request of Councilman Layborn, Administrator Gell told the council he had identified nine other waste haulers operating in the area and said the village had sent request-for-qualifications packets to all nine with a requested response by the end of the month. “I had identified nine other waste haulers that conduct business in the area… I sent a fairly detailed request for qualifications to all nine of those providers,” the administrator said.

Why it matters: Council members said repeated missed pickups are damaging residents’ confidence and that accurate, contemporaneous documentation will strengthen any future legal or contractual response. The village is weighing whether to use RFQ responses as the basis for contract negotiations or other action.

Council members pressed staff about how residents should report missed service. A council member said staff had created a dedicated email and the village is logging complaints, but noted many residents post to Facebook. Administrator Gell said staff were capturing calls and email reports and that the office will enter complaints into Priority Waste’s portal when appropriate. “We are still receiving a number of calls, which the staff is recording,” he said.

Village Attorney (counsel) cautioned that court rules of evidence apply to breach-of-contract claims and that social-media posts are less useful unless they can be corroborated: “Anything we’re receiving during the course of litigation would need to be verified… the steps that you take to build out a case evidentiary wise…is sometimes different than what’s required should that case continue to go forward to a trial,” the attorney said. He added that contemporaneous posts and contact information can provide a foundation for contacting witnesses later.

What the council decided: Councilman Layborn moved to keep the Priority Waste matter on the agenda until further notice; the motion was seconded and approved. Council members urged residents to file reports both with Priority Waste’s portal and by emailing the village at trash@wolverinelake.com so the village has verifiable contact information for possible follow-up.

Details and next steps: Staff said responses to the RFQs are due by the end of July; the village will compile complaints captured through the portal and its own email inbox and return with recommendations, including cost estimates if the council requests procurement of a replacement provider or contract enforcement actions. No formal contract termination or settlement was announced at the meeting.

The council discussion, related requests for additional documentation, and the vote to keep the issue on the agenda are expected to produce a staff report and potential agenda item at a future meeting.