EDITORIAL: A new deal

Remember when the participants in a contract honored the pact until the end of the negotiated terms? Then the two sides might come to the table to renew the deal or negotiate another one.

Now, we often see contracts renegotiated midstream, years before they expire, because one side or the other seeks a more favorable agreement. It’s one thing when it’s a deal between two private entities. They’re free to do as they see fit. But when taxpayers are involved, such renegotiations should be rare and face far more scrutiny.

Such is the case right now with the city of Las Vegas and waste-disposal company Republic Services of Southern Nevada.

As the Review-Journal’s Nicole Raz reported this week, Republic has been negotiating with city staff for about a year in hopes of implementing single-stream recycling in exchange for a 15-year contract extension. Put simply, the garbage hauler wants to reduce service by cutting back trash pickup from two days to one day a week. In return, they’ll ramp up recycling pickups.

North Las Vegas, Henderson and most of Clark County already have single-stream recycling, which entails once-a-week trash pickup, once-a-week recycling pickup, and bulky-item pickup once every other week. Las Vegas is the last municipality holding onto recycling sorting bins, twice-a-week trash pickup and every-other-week recycling pickup.

Republic’s current contract with the city doesn’t expire until 2021. But the trash company wants to change the deal. Said city spokesman Jace Radke: “Discussions to update the franchise agreement and the solid waste ordinance are ongoing and we expect to have an agenda item to the City Council before the end of the year.”

These should be very short discussions.

Republic Services: “Our contract is still more than four years away from being fulfilled, but we want to renegotiate, offer one less trash pick-up per week, and extend the contract 15 years.”

City: “How about you fulfill your contract, and then we’ll talk?”

County Commissioner Chris Giunchigliani cautioned city officials to do their “due diligence” and said the county’s experience should provide a cautionary tale. She also offered an even better suggestion: foster competition by opening the municipal solid waste contract for bid.

Hear, hear, commissioner! While it’s true Republic has long offered reliable and customer friendly service, surely many city taxpayers would prefer to hang on to their twice-a-week trash pickups, particularly during hot summers when heat exacerbates the garbage-can stench.

There’s no need to change the rules in the middle of the game. If Republic doesn’t want to honor its current contract, the City Council should open the process to competitive bids.