Lewiston introduces franchise amendment for Sunshine Disposal; public hearing scheduled

Public Works Director Dustin Johnson told the Lewiston City Council that the city has introduced ordinance 49-56 to amend the franchise agreement with Sunshine Disposal and that the measure will be published for 30 days and requires a public hearing and three separate readings before any vote.

Johnson said Sunshine Disposal requested a one-time increase of 18.5 percent last summer and the council previously directed staff to negotiate changes to the franchise agreement. He described the current introduction as procedural only: the ordinance is out for public review and no council action was taken at the meeting.

Johnson said the proposed amendment centers on the rate structure and future adjustment mechanisms tied to CPI and fuel indexes, not on wholesale changes to collection procedures. He estimated the councilbudget impact at roughly $500,000 per year and said the city can use capital reserves to cover the increase if the council later adopts the amendment. He warned that additional cost pressuresare expected: the city's landfill contract expires later in the calendar year and draft tipping fees are projected to rise, which will also influence overall rates.

Johnson said Sunshine Disposal will appear at the public hearing and that staff will provide a detailed budget impact breakdown at that time. The public hearing and the three readings were scheduled in the meeting packet; Johnson said the first public hearing and reading would occur on Jan. 26, with subsequent readings on Feb. 9 and Feb. 23.

No formal action was taken on the amendment at this meeting; the ordinance remains at the introduction stage and will proceed through publication and the public-hearing process spelled out in Idaho law.

"This is simply introducing this because it does need to be published for 30 days for the public record in order to amend the franchise contract," Johnson told the council.