Palm Coast government by now should have determined who its next garbage provider will be for the next five years. A stumble in the bidding process scrambled the timeline. And now, with the city’s contract with Waste Pro set to expire on June 1 and the revised bidding process far from completed, the city has found itself forced to extend the contract by a year, at a steep price to customers: garbage rates will jack up 47 percent, going from $20.36 to $29.97 a month.
The rate will rise, services will decrease. Those service cuts will kick in sooner, in essence allowing Waste Pro to breach the current contract: The Recycling Rewards and the Hazardous Waste Collection programs will be suspended beginning on March 17, two and a half months before the expiration of the existing contract, at least through June 2023. Yard waste will be limited to two cubic yards once a week instead of four. Bulk items will be limited to three cubic yards. The city is also dropping its requirement that Waste Pro vehicles not be older than a certain age, and its requirement that they all be natural-gas vehicles.
Notably, the city will cut its fine amounts in half, even though Waste Pro’s service has been so wanting at times that in May 2021 the city declared the company in breach of its contract and threatened to sever it. (“I don’t think they’ve had any complaints in the last two months at all, so I think they’ve really stepped up their game,” a city spokesperson said today.) Fines had played a large role in scoring Waste Pro lower than another company during an earlier bidding process. By reducing the fine amounts, it also enables the company to better position itself in the coming bid process, a gift to the company.
It is in short an astounding set of concessions by the city, to a company that is not exactly in a position to pack up and leave if it doesn’t get its way on every point.
The Palm Coast City Council is scheduled to review and likely approve the contract extension at a meeting on Feb. 15, when Waste Pro officials will be present to answer questions. Earlier this week, the council was outraged by the city’s lease with the Green Lion at the Palm Harbor golf course, a far less consequential document with no impact on city residents and substantial benefits to the golf course. The Waste Pro contract extension, in contrast, affects every resident and business in the city, and substantially diminishes the city’s ability to police what has been problematic services to residents. It would be surprising if–especially in light of the Green Lion sound and fury–council members were to accept the Waste Pro extension whole. But Waste Pro has been adept at cultivating city council members. (See: “Palm Coast Prepares for New Garbage Contract as Waste Pro starts ‘Inappropriate’ Courtship of Council Members” and “Palm Coast Turns Nasty Against Green Lion Café Lease After 5 Successful Years and Turnaround at Palm Harbor Golf.”)
Flagler County government’s contract with Waste Pro piggy-backs on Palm Coast’s contract for garbage service in the unincoporated areas of the county, and typically would follow along with whatever the city approves. “Yes, we will likely piggyback off of their agreement,” County Administrator Heidi Petito said this afternoon, “however the price many vary from what is being charged in Palm Coast. Currently our costs are a little lower than what Palm Coast pays. If this is approved by the city, we will have to negotiate our price with Waste Pro and bring it back to our Board for approval.”
Rates were certain to go up substantially even if there’d been no bidding flub. The only two companies that last fall had filed a bid to continue Palm Coast’s garbage hauling were Waste Pro and FCC Environmental Services. Waste Pro was proposing a 30 percent cost increase. FCC Environmental’s cost would have been 66 percent higher than what residents and businesses are paying now. (See: “Garbage Rates Will Go Up at Least 30% If Current Service Is Maintained as Palm Coast Draws Only 2 Bids from Haulers.”)
Palm Coast’s internal process actually ranked FCC Environmental first, until Waste Pro, which has been the city’s hauler since 2007, filed a protest. Waste Pro contended that FCC Environmental’s reports on how often and how dearly it was fined for poor service in other cities or counties was misleading. Palm Coast agreed to the extent that it judged its own questions in the bidding document unclear, in essence assuming the error for itself. The city then scrapped the whole bidding process, which had started exactly a year ago, and opted to restart. It’s been preparing the request for proposal, which will not go out until Feb. 23, leaving no time to complete it by June 1.
That placed Palm Coast in a bind. It would not have been easy for the city to secure a different hauler past June 1 on a fill-in basis, as that alone entails its own regulated procedures. Waste Pro knows that, and may explain the first estimated amount the hauler quoted to the city in mid-January, when the city was seeking the extension: $33.80 a month, what would have been a 66 percent increase. It was as if Waste Pro looked at FCC Environmental’s bid, which projected precisely a 66 percent increase, and Palm Coast’s acceptance of that bid, and set its rate accordingly, daring Palm Coast to reject it.
Brian Wintjen, Waste Pro’s Notheast Florida Region vice president, didn’t, of course, cite the FCC Environmental bid as his rationale. Not yet. Rather, in his letter to the city, he essentially cut and pasted headlines about cost increases, blaming Covid, inflation, the accelerating retirement of baby boomers, thus “the need for increased sign-on incentives and the continued need for increased wages and better benefits for those already employed,” in his words.
Rank and file solid waste workers have been notoriously underpaid in a dangerous and thankless industry. Last year, the company raised drivers’ pay from $140 a day, or $36,400 a year, to $175 a day, or $45,500 a year. The mean wage nationally in waste treatment and disposal, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, was $46,450 in 2020.
Beyond wages, what the letter lacked was actual evidence showing a link between his claims and Waste Pro’s books. The numbers he did provide were tendentious. Inflation has been increasing sharply, but nowhere near 66, or 47, percent. Cynthia Schweers, the city’s director of citizen engagement and the point person on the contract-extension negotiations, informed Wintjen in her response that inflation at most accounted for a 2.3 to 4.1 percent increase per year over the past five years, or a cumulative 18 percent.
Schweers did not address other generalities, exaggerations or inaccuracies in Waste Pro’s letter. The Omicron variant, Wintjen said, has “affected 40 percent of the population,” which is grossly inaccurate: a total of 77 million Americans have been infected in the entire two years of the pandemic, or about 23 percent of the population. Wintjen included a seven-paragraph article from a trade publication about the “impact of omicron on waste collection.” The December article is outdated and its numbers no longer relevant. The omicron wave has largely passed, and has not affected the largely younger population–the demographic of Waste Pro’s rank and file employees–as it has older populations. His vague, unattributed claim that “the latest labor reports indicate that baby boomers are retiring faster than they are being replaced in the workforce” is not supported by a September 21 jobs report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The labor participation rate is declining. The labor force is not.
Schweers referred back to Waste Pro’s bid last year, which had come in at 31 percent over today’s rates, and proposed a one-year rate of $26.89, along with the suspension of certain programs and the reduction of others. In his Feb. 3 response, Wintjen unholstered the FCC Environmental bid, making the explicit link between that quoted price and Waste Pro’s, and claiming the city was still coming out ahead with Waste Pro’s new figure. “Waste Pro values its long-term relationship with the City of Palm Coast and we welcome the opportunity to continue the partnership,” Wintjen wrote
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George says
Once again City of PC officials have let their taxpayers down and now not only are we getting a 47 per cent increase in garbage pick up but they are dropping recycle pick up.
This is what you get when you vote in Republicans that are incapable to handle a job a high school kid could do better at managing. I am proud to say I didn’t vote for any of them, I saw the writing on the wall but you can see some didn’t.
Mary Fusco says
To be honest, does recycling even count anymore? When it first started many years ago I lived in NY. We had 4 bins for recycling. One for plastic, glass, cans & newspapers. When we moved to PC, it was condensed. One for newspapers and one for everything else. Now, I notice when it is picked up, it is all dumped into the back of the truck and crushed. No more recycling for me because it does not exist. The $10 rise in price is what it is. People complained their way into this. Actually $7.50 a week is not all that bad considering that people will pay over $20 for a pizza.
Mark says
It’s called single stream recycling. It gets sorted at a facility not at the street level. Most towns went to single stream 20+ years ago.
Optimist Prime says
No, locally, they DO NOT recycle. It all goes to the same place. THE DUMP. they are charging us for services that they do not render. PERIOD.
Larry Amaturo says
This has nothing to do with republican or democrat but with incompetent individuals and the voters who do not pay attention.
The same people who made the error and caused the extension are those who lambasted a contract where a company took a failing business and an eyesore to the community invested their own money and made the establishment and the golf course an attractive and profitable enterprise.
Harsh words were used against the Island Grill but the same individuals did nothing to prevent a company with a somewhat nefarious history and a company that drove out every small waste enterprise in New York from profiting by doing less.
The individuals are a joke not either party.
The dude says
All of the aforementioned individuals are of one party though.
And behaving exactly as the head of that party does.
So yeah, party affiliation is part of the problem here.
Hh says
Well said, we get caught up in fighting each other as neighbors while those elected to office continually fleece us. They are not interested in the average Joe, only in lining their pockets! Until people do research about the candidate they vote for we will continue to get these incompetent @## in office!
Very Disappointed VOTER says
Show of hands. Who else would love it if the members of the City Council just all submitted their resignations NOW instead of making us wait until the next election? They are a collective disgrace. Pre-retirement I was involved in waste management contracts and other municipal matters. So … I know how it works. This Council is dragging a previously decent city into a pit of incompetence. Shame on all of you.
Deborah Coffey says
My hand is up! And, I didn’t vote for any of them either. Could it get worse?!
Tina olive says
Totally agree!!!!It seems that whatever they put their hands turns into a disaster….Politics!!!!!!!
The dude says
Example #999,999,999 of what happens when you keep electing the same old virtue signaling right wing fools over and over.
Trailer Bob says
Not all Republicans are “right wing fools”, as not all Democrats are “American hating liberals”.
There are selfish fools on both sides of the political spectrum.
We all get to vote, but the majority party usually wins.
This is Florida…get used to it if you are able.
That’s all one can do.
The dude says
I did say “ the same old” there.
That hopefully implies a very specific subset of fools who can’t govern civilly or at all really, but for some reason desperately feel like they need to.
To everyone’s detriment.
That here, they tend to be right wingers is secondary to the point.
Samantha says
The City of PC Council all need to be fired us taxpayers are sick of the incompetent jobs they are doing for Palm Coast. We don’t want to wait for the next election, we are asking for a early vote right now so we can get rid of them sooner. Would someone in the City start listening to the people that pay your salaries.
James says
What are you talking about? Who is “we” on your recall vote idea?
I think the City Council has done pretty well over the past few months. It’ll all change come election time when someone wants the spotlight, but they’ve been respectful to each other, at least.
Mark says
A contract extension should not include changes to the contract. Sounds like the people in charge of this contract should find a new line of work.
Stinky Paul says
This is what happens when any organization has a high employee churn. Mayor. Managers. et al. Things get lost or screwed up. Yes that is all on the council, none of whom I have ever voted for. Yay me! I win! I guess. Regardless, the rates were going up significantly anyways. They’ll go up significantly again in 2027, and on and on. Doesn’t matter whatever circular nonsense comes from Waste Pro. They’re a business, not a charity. My decision to live in Palm Coast is not impacted in ANY WAY by the cost of garbage pickup. Not a single bit.
Florida Voter says
FYI, the MEDIAN national wage “wage estimates for Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors”(1) is $18.80/hr, $39,100/yr. In Florida, it’s slightly higher: $39,400/yr. The median wage goes down to $35,700/yr. in the “Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach, FL” region. Of course, this is from 2020, not “current” data.
Flagler Live: can you let us know how much this will increase costs to our city/county government? You mention that residential customers aren’t the only ones that will see a rate increase, so I’m curious about how much this will directly impact our local government and how that compares to the Green Lion proposed rent increase.
(1) the same 2020 data that Flagler Live cited
The dude says
That extra $12,000-$16,000 a year liddle Eddie Danko thinks he’s gonna get out of that Green Lion space ain’t gonna cover this.
Not even close.
Montecristo says
The City failed to pull the Waste Pro bond. Had they done that we the taxpayers would not be paying more.
Also the City was obviously stalled by Waste Pro so there would be no option left but to sign a rate increase if they want service.
The interim City Manager should resign, they need better leadership.
Look at the situation with the Greenlion another example of mismanagement by the City. The City Council explodes on the owners of the Golden lion when those folks saved face for that crappie restaurant that was there before them. The owner of the Golden Lion is a gentleman. He should not be treated this way. The City Manager just sat there and said nothing.
That’s leadership. Same with the department head. Trying to sneak this through. He needs to resign too.
What a mess!
It’s just another blunder of the list of bad City Manager and managers within the City.
Waste Pro played them well. Last laugh is on the City. Fines meant nothing to them.
The City needs professionals to run that Contract. The City cannot manage a service contract like garbage without a well seasoned manager.
We need resignations starting with the interim Managers.
Montecristo
The dude says
The Interim City manager has the power and authority to accept and ratify this contract, but they did not?
Is that what you’re saying?
And what should she have said when liddle Eddie Danko went on a rant about this? This too is in her interim authority?
Montecristo says
Nope that’s not what I’m saying I’m saying the Interim City Managers got played because they don’t know the business.
The City Council is the only group that can accept or deny the contract.
Let’s see who has the balls to play in the big leagues!
The dude says
How did the city manager “get played” by a city council that sat on their thumbs watching this happen?
This contract thing has been going on for quite some time now. The entire Palm coast city council has been keenly aware of this issue the whole time.
Yet it’s the person who has no power to accept or deny the contract, it’s that person’s fault?
The blame lies with the 5 people with the “yes” or “no” power, not the person who told them they needed to say “yes” or “no” so she could process it accordingly.
Maybe if the council were more inclined to actually do their jobs instead of indulging in their performative poutrage and in-fighting this wouldn’t have happened.
But do go ahead and blame everyone except those whose fault it actually is.
This exactly why things will never change here in Flagler or Palm Coast.
Alonzo says
I really want Waste Pro gone but I hsve to wait another 16 months or so. I understand the recycle rewards will be stopped not the recycle pickup, we will see what happens in March. I moved to Palm Coast because I used to like the city I see I probably made a mistake. This Republin controlled Gov. stinks in Palm Coast. I heard that Waste Management will putting in a bid for the contract, how true that is I don’t know. A rate increase regardless who the hauler will be. Waste Pro will keep the contract for over a year, rate increase and cut services that is what hurt the customers. Well people we will see what happens next.
The dude says
History says this is what happens next:
The Palm Coast citizens will get hosed due to the council’s incompetence.
And the same old grievance and performative outrage loving idiots who caused this will be re-elected.
R. S. says
I have no problem with fair rates for good work; however, as I walk or drive through my neighborhood, I see piles of garbage, old furniture, piles of yard waste, and boxes on top of boxes all piled up on the side of the road in front of many houses. And I cannot help but think, “Why is this dude with massive garbage paying the same amount as I, who set out a waste bin perhaps only once every two or three weeks while composting all organic waste?” There should be a way to tie cost of the service to use of the service.
jake says
Simple solution to your question. The City of Plantation in South Florida does not charge for garbage pick-up, you must purchase “city garbage bags” and that is the only bag picked up. You go to Publix, or City Hall, buy the bags and use them. This way everyone pays for exactly for the service they need, no one subsidizes anyone else.
As far as all of you crying and complaining about the “right wing fools” and “repubs” running the shit show, you need to look in the mirror, and blame yourself. You constantly complain, yet every election the same result occurs. Either the population is as “dumb as a bag of rocks”, or your message isn’t resonating with the majority. Time for you know-it-alls to figure out a solution, or just shut up.
FlaglerLive says
The commenter is misinformed. Plantation charges a base rate of $12.20 for garbage and recycling pick-up, in addition to which residents and businesses must pay $0.82 or $0.49 per garbage bag they buy, depending on its size, and set by curbside. This is according to solid waste rates form 2018, which Plantation has not since changed.
The commenter is often gratuitously (as opposed to interestingly, which is permissible) rude in addition to being misinformed, and has previously been banned, more than once. This is yet another warning.
Ushi says
yes
Dennis C Rathsam says
Ha, Ha, Ha, Shity service, missed pick ups, complaints out the wazzoo, Yet the digbates who are suppose to protect the population from this extortion have disapeared. Some on the council, have big enough mouths to complain about shit, but when it counts their pissing in the wind. Why dont U all go home! youre all useless. Mr mayor your no salvation, grow some guilones and lead!!!!How the hell can U let them get away with this 1/2 ass service. OH thats right…the solution….LETS BUILD MORE HOUSES!!!!!
Deborah Coffey says
Never, ever trust a Republican with your money…or your government!
Down south says
I suppose you know that the current city manager and administrator plus support staff are all Republicans? It appears the ball was dropped by this group. Why oh why did they let WP open up the preexisting contract and make changes? Why didn’t the original contract have an extension agreement that would not allow changes?
This entire episode should never have gotten this far. The county council are not smart enough to do the right thing but the county admin sure should. Flaglerlive correct me if I’m wrong regarding the job of the county admins
Fredzilco says
I’ve heard that waste Pro doesn’t even recycle any of the recycle materials, they just go into the dump with everything else. I’ve heard this account from several people including employees and temp workers who have been to the dump. It should be investigated ASAP
James says
So, yeah, $9 more per month. I pay triple that every time I fill up my car. You wanted more pay for workers on constitutional amendment, you got it. And it costs yah, like we said it would.
City is the one to blame, but cut em some slack yall. Damn! Holland and Morton resign and some balls are gonna drop. Not a surprise the original internal process didn’t pan out. I wonder who’s desk they threw that on while Morton was walking out the door? Staff there now is doing what they can.
Every misstep and issue isn’t a four alarm fire, Palm Coast.
Meh246 says
*Former employee here* to confirm a few of the comments. No there is no such thing as recycling anymore. No one (China) is buying anymore. So yes we are all paying for a fake service and while it’s not a secret it’s not broadcasted either….obviously.
They want more money and less restrictions but the “newer, cleaner” trucks already in service shouldn’t be on the road. The basic things required by the DOT such as the defrost…..broken. Hydrologic leaks ignored because it’s not spewing out right. Now let’s imagine what they are going to bring in now. Lol the city got played like a fiddle.
James says
If this comes to pass it looks like my utility bill will finally exceed $100/month. When is this BS going to end… when we’re paying $1000/month for garbage and water service?!?! Ya know, you have to draw the line somewhere and I made a promise to myself that if and when it did exceed $100… I’d move.
Thanks for nothing Palm Coast.
Ronald Schrein says
The same idiots on the city council who went off the rails over the Green Lion contract that basically rescued the failing Palm Harbor Golf Course also approved this ridiculous waste of money….increasing the cost to the taxpayer and reducing the penalty for failing to perform. Increasing cost and reducing service. If only they’d applied their phony ire to the Waste Pro debacle instead of wasting their faux indignance on a contract that was working perfectly and returning value to the community. How in God’s name did these morons get elected?
Jimbo99 says
As I recall, Waste Pro was not a bidding glitch. Their rates in the bidding process were still less than what the pool of waste collectors bid. There’s a reason that Waste Pro remains, not only was Waste Pro competitive, they actually won the bidding war. Every waste vendor quoted providing garbage can receptacles, even a more automated collection system of vehicles equipped to be compatible with the new garbage bins that every home in Flagler County would be forced to pay a fee for or purchase. End of the day here, bidding only reinforced Waste Pro to raise their rates, nobody else bid as low as they did. So the contract bid process worked out for Waste Pro’s benefit. It allowed them to get out of a bad contract from their perspective. And building more houses is not the solution. Get ready to see more rate increases because more people means more garbage & more resources to dispose of it.
Mark says
I had 3 prior waste haulers all supply large dedicated bins at no cost to the homeowner, you did not buy them. Once a week pick-up instead of multiple trucks a week.
Alonzo says
Waste Pro will have it good in Pslm Coast. The fines will decrease, service decrease, increased rates to the customers, any old garbage trucks from what I understand. Waste Pro should be happy with the Repubs., in Pslm Coast. I believe the Repubs., will get a huge donation from the Hauler.
Dennis says
I lived in Spring Hill Florida for several years 8 years ago. I paid less than $20 a month for garbage and water. We had a septic tank. Palm Coast is letting the taxpayers down. Pretty sad. Stop the steal
Alexander says
Hello, we want to hear from the Mayor of PC, why did he run for officer when we haven’t heard a word out of his mouth about the poor management in his departments? Why is that the citizens of PC are upset about the poor decisions their council continues to make and it keeps happening at the expense of the City of PC taxpayers. You are all a disgrace, and this is what you get when you vote in losers and that is what they all are. We want them all fired now forget the next election. They proved to all of us they are not capable of handling the job they were given. You should all walk around town with your heads hanging low because you are a true embarrassment to all of us.
Absolutely Ridiculous says
Am I understanding correctly that the cost is going up due to the city negligence in this bidding process, that recycling will stop so now everyone will have more trash cans and bags out on pick up day but our city council is more upset and outraged about the Green Lion Cafe?
How soon can this embarrassment of a council be driven out!
Mark says
Inept, Incompetent, just keep filling in the words. You get what you Vote for. PC is behind the times anyways when it comes to waste pick-up. Thousands of routes across the country have gone to large wheeled dedicated containers picked up once a week. One for refuse and one for recyclables. We still use bins designed in the 80’s.
oldtimer says
So what do we do with hazardous waste? just store it in our backyard or better yet have drop off points at each city council members house
Montecristo says
You can drop it off at the County Haz Mat site on Old Kings Rd South of rt100.
Something you should know is that included in our property taxes is that service from the County.
So you and I are getting the double whammy from Palm Coast paying Waste Pro all these years for nothing.
The County is open 8am -2:30 pm m-f.
A list of items they take is on the County website.
Once again incompetence from the management of Palm Coast!
Montecristo
Knowsalittle says
I’ve never seen a city/county with elected officials so screwed up. County did it with BBQ at Bings Landing, school board members (2 of them) have personal agendas and don’t care about the students, and PC now with Green Lion and Waste Pro. So glad I moved out of PC.
Resign says
City Council blindsides the Green Lion with a rent increase. So they drop the ball and average Joe taxpayer has to pay for the incompetence of these idiots.
Maybe we should start dumping 20% of our garbage in Lil Dankos yard. Then he can get a visual, and olfactory sense of what 20% is
jay says
Why is anyone surprised, city leadership has been poor to very poop for years
Do-it-yourself says
I think we need to get serious about this and have a municipal run garbage service. It can be done well, even in Florida. So let’s see some leadership from the city council, buy some trucks, get the people in place and make it happen.
Old Guy says
Time to bring it in house for sure.
PB says
When I started to write this comment there were 37 before me. I wonder how many of those were from voters. People that actually submitted a ballot. It is our biggest voice but it seems most don’t see that!
Mark says
I Voted and not for any of these individuals.
palmcoaster says
And now this increase of over 30 % in June besides half the amount of yard debris to be picked up. I have a 185 x 110 lot that pays in the water front the high (double) taxes for size and location and I have lots of trimmings and branches growing consistently close to my roof that have to be trimmed thruout the year along ornamental bushes in my large lot and because city council didn’t accept Waste Pro lowest bid on the first requested bid now my Wenesday’s yard debris pick ups will be half after June while my monthly increase for waste will be over $9 a month shooting my utility bill higher than the $100 we pay now for a hoiuse with two on it? The few that complaint about Waste Pro are the bigots because workeres are black or the lazy ones that leave their trash our in bags and wildlife spreads it out making up for the rats proliferation we endure and then think Waste Pro workers are to swept their mess disseminated overnight in their front lawn or the street. Our Waste Pro workers and service is excellent and that was expressed in the city survey with over 61% of residents wanting to keep Waste Pro against the trollers with special interst to want to bring their own benefitial contractor for personal reasons. Look into Nextdoor,com all comments under “To Our Excellent Waste Pro Workers” in only one site 200 residents speraking of our Waste Pro excellent service: https://nextdoor.com/news_feed/?post=216414084&comment=725641995. But so far city ignored our pleas and this is what we get for rejecting Waste Pro original winning bid!
palmcoaster says
My kids in AZ pay $66 a month only for the same utilities cost me here $40 more…includes excellent garbage automated pick up https://www.chandleraz.gov/residents/recycling-and-trash/trash water, sewer and storm water. Here our Waste pro workers do an excellent work given the lazy ones putting out their waste improperly in tall kitchen bags or improper containers without lids and then expect the workers clean up the mess the wild animals and rats do whiule feeding on their refuse.
Also here our water , sewer and storm water rate in outreageous goiven the fact that when we pay for it and its reservs revenue to go into extension of services to new developments without insufficient impact fees our reserves get depleted a;lso by using them for non justified uses like widening Old Kimgs Road south and the Boulder Rock buying private property and paving the access to Town Center ete. etc. Then when reserves miss used the raise our utility rate. That is whi my kids pay $40 less a month for excellent water and sanitation service…Stop using our Palm Coast utilities reserves as cash cow to benefit developers, charge the proper impact fees and stop raising our rates just because the Palm Coast utility is run as an independent entity, like the county and its airport. They rip all the benefits and we forced to fund them and endure the nuisances.
palmcoaster says
This is what happens when the few lazy people or special interest trolls complain a lot and then the city goof up a good bid from Waste Pro and restarts unfairly the bid process again after receiving Waste Pro’s. We completed the survey and over 60 % of residents wanted to keep Waste Pro and in social meda like Nextdoor.com as well our 3 minutes pleas in person in council meetings…so why mayor and council ignore our pleas an cause this increase and service reduction? In Palm Coast government as well the less want to govern and impose on the majority?
Concerned Citizen says
Time and time again we see ineptness from our City and County Council’s.
Yet time and time again the same folks are re-elected. And the same patterns continue. So many of you spend your time and energy ranting on this forum. But how many are contributing to the insanity of re-electing and expecting different?
This county is so afraid of change it keeps re-electing the same people. And foolishly expecting that things will be somehow different. When you keep re-electing these people you allow them to build empires with no accountability.
Break the cycle at the polls. Vote informed. And don’t be afraid to give a new face a chance.
Just Jeff says
$30 a month for trash pickup is still a very fair price.
I’m shocked at what people expect a garbage company to do for 6 dollars a week, but they’ll gladly pay that for one cup of coffee. God forbid people have to pay what trash service should cost.
Jay Tomm says
This company is horrible!! Always late, unless I leave my garbage can that is full of yard debris open, they pass it by. And when they pick up garbage, my block is littered with trash debris. I complained & got no where.
Alan lefstead says
I am writing in regards to the upcoming refuse increase for the City of Palm Coast.
I do understand that mistakes were made in regards to the City interpretation of bidders past performance. These included local and other past performance information related to the two bidders that responded to the RFP.
I do understand the need to extend the current service contract for the Waste Hauler. However, that should not affect the reduction in the amount of recycling to be collected at the increased rate.
It is rather absurd to pay more for less.
Someone needs to fix this situation with the waste hauler and also someone needs to be held accountable for causing this injustice to its tax payers.
I have spent the majority of my career working for numerous waste haulers and municipalities as well, that were task with creating RFP’s and consequently holding the waste hauling companies accountable. In otherwise I have been on both sides of the fence.
City officials need to negotiate with the current hauler regarding increase in percentage of increase.
It is critical for those involved to not allow a reduction of services related to recycling. Especially while also allowing a unreasonable increase in cost to tax payers.
WASTE PRO, will want to do the right thing. They want this contract the next time it comes up for bid.
These two matters above provide a huge opportunity for negotiation.