Public Works Committee forwards 8-year garbage contract to full board after debate over bulk pickup fees

The Port Edwards Public Works Committee voted to forward a recommendation that the full board approve an eight-year garbage and recycling contract with Harder's Fox Valley Disposal, beginning Jan. 1, 2026, after members focused on differences in bulk-pickup policies.

The committee's chair made the motion to recommend Harder's contract and Lon seconded; the committee voted in favor and will send the recommendation to the full board for final action at its September meeting. Committee members said the primary distinction between the two bids was how bulk, oversized items would be handled.

"Harder's would pick up bulk pickup," committee member Lon said, contrasting that with Waste Management's proposal, which committee members said includes a $30-per-item charge. "Otherwise, Waste Management won't," Lon added, arguing the Harder's proposal could be more convenient for residents.

Vendor representative (identified in the meeting as the company representative) told the committee the $30-per-item charge in Waste Management's bid is billed to the resident and that the contractor can set up routing accounts or accept prepaid charges so the village itself would not be billed. "We have the capability of setting up routing accounts in which each individual address can pay for their home," the representative said.

Mindy said she tallied four monthly examples provided by staff and calculated that, if certain charges were billed to the village rather than residents, the village could face an additional roughly $21,000 in the first year. "The village would be looking at an extra cost on the first year alone of $21,000," Mindy said, describing her arithmetic as an average derived from four sample months.

Committee members debated whether unpaid resident charges could leave the village absorbing costs or create curbside debris if pickups were withheld. Some members said Harder's inclusion of free bulk pickup and twice-yearly roll-off box drop-offs could reduce those risks; others noted Waste Management has provided service for more than eight years without major problems.

The committee did not make a final contract award; it recommended the Harder's Fox Valley Disposal contract to the full board, which will consider the contract at its upcoming meeting. The committee noted that the contract, if adopted, would run for eight years and that specific billing arrangements for bulk items can be set through routing accounts or prepaid options.

The committee discussion also noted that proposed service-day schedules would remain unchanged and that residents would receive new or different carts under a new contract. The recommendation will go to the full board for a final decision at its next meeting.