Board recommends citywide trash and recycling contract with GFL; next step is council review

The Board of Public Works recommended on Sept. 3 that the City Council approve a five‑year citywide trash contract with GFL that would provide weekly garbage and every‑other‑week recycling collection. The motion, submitted as a recommendation to council, was made and seconded; the chair announced the motion passed by voice and a hand check.

Staff presented a spreadsheet showing comparative pricing scenarios and administrative charges. As described to the board, the city would add an administrative charge that staff set at $0.93 in the first contract year and that would increase by one cent each year thereafter under the proposed administrative structure. The contract proposal includes cans for individual residential units; staff confirmed multiunit properties up to four units (fourplexes) would be included in the city program and billed per residential unit (that is, a fourplex would be charged for four residential units under the proposal). The board discussed who would pay when multiple addresses are on a single parcel; staff said billing follows the number of residential units/addresses rather than parcel count.

Board members and residents debated mandatory participation and equity for households that currently do not pay for curbside service. Several board members and residents said many households would save money under a citywide contract while some would pay more; the board did not vote to require immediate implementation without council review. A board member noted the county recycling contract would remain in place unless council chooses to cancel it, and staff said cancelling the Outagamie County recycling arrangement would require review of that contract’s terms and notice provisions. The board asked staff to confirm any rollover or cancellation provisions before council action.

Motion and next step: board members voted to recommend the GFL garbage‑and‑recycling option and forward the recommendation to the Common Council for final approval and any required public hearing. The recommendation instructs staff to prepare contract details, confirm Outagamie County contract exit terms if the council moves forward with GFL, and present final contract documents to the council for a decision.

Ending: the board’s recommendation will go to the Common Council, which must approve a contract and any special assessment or billing changes. If approved by council, the plan is for a five‑year contract with mandatory collection for covered residential units and a schedule that phases in the administrative fee described to the board.