Lake St. Louis aldermen back 3‑3‑3 amendment approach for Meridian Waste contract

City Administrator George Ertle presented the Board of Aldermen with a packet of information about the city’s solid‑waste contract with Meridian Waste during the June 15, 2026, Administrative/Finance/Public Works joint work session. The Board indicated a preference to pursue an amendment to the existing agreement rather than soliciting a new RFQ.

The Board favored a so‑called “3‑3‑3” structure: a three‑year contract term, annual rate increases capped at 3 percent, and a fuel‑surcharge mechanism that would adjust rates after three consecutive months of sustained increases or decreases in diesel pricing. The Board directed staff to continue discussions with Meridian Waste consistent with those parameters.

Staff reviewed Meridian Waste’s service history in Lake St. Louis, noting Meridian’s acquisition of the city’s previous provider, Christian Brothers, and contract amendments in 2019 and 2022 that changed recycling collection approaches. Packet materials compared Lake St. Louis monthly rates with neighboring cities and private providers to provide context for negotiations.

Packet figures included a proposed Year‑5 standard monthly rate of $25.49 and a senior monthly rate of $22.81 as an example of the proposed five‑year pricing schedule. The contract summary also reiterated service elements such as an “all you can throw” refuse model, weekly yard‑waste pickup, one bulk item pickup per week, a senior service rate for residents age 62 and older, and free service for city and park facilities.

The packet also detailed a proposed Temporary Fuel Adjustment tied to Midwest No. 2 diesel retail pricing: the base value was set at $3.798 per gallon (Midwest PADD, Feb. 23, 2026); for each $0.50 per gallon increase above that base Meridian would be permitted to pass through an additional $0.24 per household per month, and the same step amounts would apply for decreases until prices returned to the base level.

The contract materials include governing‑law and change‑of‑law provisions that make Missouri law and St. Charles County courts (and the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri) the agreed venues for disputes, and they spell out a process for Meridian to request cost pass‑throughs tied to taxes, surcharges or other changes in law.

Staff and the Board did not complete a formal vote during the work session; the Board’s action was a direction that staff continue negotiations with Meridian Waste based on the Board’s stated parameters. The packet contains dates for contract milestones but includes inconsistent expiration information: the staff cover notes state the current agreement is set to expire at the end of January 2027, while a separate contract summary line lists the contract expiration as January 2026. City staff were directed to continue discussions and — as part of that work — to reconcile the discrepancy and provide clarified contract dates and the final amendment language for future Board consideration.