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North Bay Village wrestles with whether to privatize trash pickup after staff study
Summary
Village staff presented options to keep solid-waste pickup in-house, piggyback a Coral Gables contract, or run an RFP. Residents urged keeping the service public; staff said piggybacking could save about $86,681 annually but would require detailed, multi‑year comparisons and more public outreach.
North Bay Village officials on Feb. 17 heard a detailed staff review of the village's solid-waste operations and options for the future, setting off more than two hours of public comment.
————Public-works Director Steve Buckland told the commission the village currently operates leased trucks and a mixed workforce of village employees and staff-leasing personnel, and has identified two paths: piggyback Coral Gables' pre‑COVID Waste Management contract or issue a competitive RFP. "If North Bay Village were to transition to a private waste management provider, the objective would be to reduce overall cost and enhance environmental sustainability all while assuring that the quality of service remains the same or better," Buckland said during his presentation.
Buckland said staff's preliminary comparison showed in-house annual operational costs at about $1,430,000 and an option using Waste Management at roughly $1,343,380, creating an estimated annual savings of about $86,680.76. He cautioned the village lacks RFP bids to show the full range of options and noted pitfalls—parking and storage of trucks, environmental permitting for vehicle storage, and staff scheduling—that affect long-term costs.
Residents who spoke urged caution. Gilad Somosa, a longtime resident, said he and many neighbors were unaware the village was considering privatization and that residents are pleased with current service: "We have excellent trash service pickup now. Why change it?" he said. Oliver Pfeffer, another resident, warned that privatization shifts control away from the village: "When the city hands over trash collection to a private company, it also hands over control," he said, citing instances elsewhere where contract disputes left trash uncollected for weeks.
Several commissioners pressed staff for more precise, multi‑year side‑by‑side comparisons that include the cost of retaining current employees, temporary truck parking costs if the village must relocate vehicles, and contingencies for hurricane or emergency response. Mayor Rachel Stryfeld said the village will not rush a decision and noted staff has held workshops and will continue community outreach: "We will hold town halls after town halls… We're not gonna rush a decision."
Staff said two public meetings are scheduled for March 8—one at North Bay Island and one at Treasure Island—to gather input from single-family homeowners and other residents. Commissioners discussed possible ballot referral or pilot programs, but no formal vote or contract award was taken at the meeting.
Next steps: staff will prepare a clearer multi‑year, apples‑to‑apples cost comparison, clarify what would be required to preserve existing backdoor/side-yard pickup, and continue public engagement in March before the commission considers any formal action.
