Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Solid Waste Franchise topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Casselberry approves two amendments to exclusive GFL waste franchise after business complaints
Summary
The Casselberry City Commission unanimously approved two amendment No. 5 resolutions renewing exclusive commercial-solid-waste franchises with GFL Solid Waste Southeast LLC, while commissioners and staff agreed to funnel business complaints through the city and collect evidence before considering termination or re-bid.
The Casselberry City Commission on Dec. 8 approved two related resolutions to amend the city's exclusive commercial solid-waste franchise with GFL Solid Waste Southeast LLC.
Donna Gardner, the city clerk, read Resolution 25-3554 for franchise 2 (open-top roll-off containers) and Resolution 25-3555 for franchise 1 (front-load dumpsters, carts and compactors). Staff said the amendments are part of the first renewal cycle for contracts that initially took effect Jan. 1, 2021, and include routine adjustments such as a 3% inflation-based fee increase.
A staff presentation traced the decision back to a 2019 MSW consultant study that recommended consolidating a previously nonexclusive system of about 10 haulers into two exclusive franchisees to reduce truck routes and staff oversight. The city's prior solicitation resulted in WCA (later renamed GFL) winning both service areas.
A commissioner who pulled the items from the consent agenda said they had surveyed local business owners and property managers who described recurring service problems under GFL: dumpster gates left open that invite illegal dumping, inconsistent customer-service contacts with no dedicated account manager, delays or difficulty resolving damage claims, lost custom configurations such as dual-entry dumpsters and extra charges for Saturday pickups.
"The overwhelming feedback that I received is that they're getting poor customer service from GFL," the commissioner said.
Chuck Smith, the city's maintenance manager, and Elsie, the procurement manager, said the city maintains a single point of contact on staff who handles contract oversight and that the vendor provides a corporate customer-service number that routes calls to field offices. Procurement manager Elsie told the commission the contract includes recourse but not termination for convenience: "We would have to have cause. We would need to give them a chance to rectify the issues that you have brought to light," she said.
City staff and several commissioners agreed on two next steps: require businesses to report service complaints to the city so staff can log and track patterns, and assemble a body of evidence before pursuing termination or re-bidding. "If the complaints were coming to the city and we heard these complaints, we could better handle them," Elsie said.
By voice vote the commission approved both resolutions unanimously. Commissioners asked staff to report back with consolidated customer-complaint data and to consider a workshop if the city later decides to revisit the exclusive-franchise policy.
Votes at a glance: Resolution 25-3554 (franchise 2 amendment No. 5) ' approved unanimously; Resolution 25-3555 (franchise 1 amendment No. 5) ' approved unanimously.
What's next: Staff will work to publish city contact information for business complaints and collect evidence to assess whether contractual cause exists to pursue further action.
