BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. – Homeowners in unincorporated Brevard County will see their trash collection bills jump by 39%, under a proposed seven-year contract with Waste Management Inc. that county commissioners will vote on Tuesday night, according to our news partner Florida Today.
The proposal would increase the annual bill for trash collection at a single-family home to an estimated $194.28 a year, up from the current $139.70 a year. The $54.58-a-year increase would take effect for the next budget year, which begins Oct. 1, and would appear as a separate charge on property tax bills.
Waste Management has about 104,000 residential customers and 37,000 commercial accounts in unincorporated Brevard.
Specific rates to customers for various classifications of service — such as multifamily residential units, condo units and commercial customers — would be voted on later this year as part of the County Commission action related to its 2020-21 budget.
Waste Management also provides trash collection in nine of Brevard's 16 cities and towns. But those rates would not be affected by this proposed contract. Each municipality negotiates separate contracts with the company.
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County commissioners in November authorized a three-person negotiating committee of county officials to work out a contract with Waste Management that would take effect after the company's current seven-year contract with the county ends on Sept. 30.
The county also received bids from FCC Inc. and Waste Pro, but commissioners decided Waste Management had the best proposal.
In a presentation to county commissioners in November, Dina Reider-Hicks, Waste Management's public affairs manager, cited a number of factors for the increased price the company proposed, including:
- Plans to add more trucks, routes and staff to its residential business. In October, residential garbage vehicles per service day will increase by two, recycling vehicles by three, yard waste vehicles by four and bulk waste vehicles by four, Reider-Hicks said. Additional trucks would be added later in the contract period.
- Increased wages for employees.
- Increased volume of yard waste.
- Adding carts and another cart delivery route to address increasing population.
- Higher costs to replace trucks.
- Increased costs for processing recyclables.
Waste Management initially was proposing a 43% increase in rates.
But that figure dropped after three negotiating sessions in December and January, and a threat by the negotiating committee to recommend to the County Commission that it consider various other options.
Those options included rejecting Waste Management’s proposal and seeking new bids on the contract or awarding the commercial portion of the trash-hauling contract to FCC.