Las Vegas City Council asked to hold off on looming Republic Services vote

The Las Vegas City Council could vote next week to extend the city’s long-term franchise agreement with Republic Services, but a group of stakeholders is urging the council to hold off.

The City Council on April 5 will consider changes to its solid waste and recycling ordinance to allow for no-sort, single-stream recycling. The city has been negotiating a long-term extension with Republic Services for more than a year, though the current franchise agreement expires in 2021. That extension, too, is expected to go on next Wednesday’s council agenda.

Argentum Partners’ Mike Draper, who represents a coalition of waste haulers and recyclers in Nevada, is meeting with City Council members Tuesday to ask them to postpone the vote until a comprehensive policy discussion is done at the state level.

Several state legislators this month introduced a bill that would encourage competition in the solid-waste industry. Meanwhile, next week’s city primary election, the day before the council is slated to discuss those issues, could change the makeup of the council, Draper pointed out.

“It’s kind of a perfect storm, and maybe we should just wait, put this on pause and look at waste and recycling in Nevada,” Draper said Monday.

The council is expected to consider both the new ordinance and the proposed extension at their April 5 meeting. Those issues will be publicly heard at Wednesday’s council meeting, prior to any votes.

THE ORDINANCE

The details of the proposed extension of the franchise agreement are expected to become clearer this week, when the council agenda and materials are released, the city’s Deputy Planning Director Karen Duddlesten said Monday morning at a workshop on the proposed changes.

The proposed ordinance allows the franchisee to pass business license taxes and increased franchise fees and environmental surcharges on to customers.

In addition to the single-stream recycling provision, the possible changes to the solid waste and recycling ordinance include allowing the city to increase franchise fees and allowing the company the city contracts with to refer delinquent accounts to a collections agency.

Danielle Basson, chief operating officer of Simple Environmental Services Group, submitted a packet of questions and concerns at the workshop, including the fact that no council members were present.

“If no council members attend the workshop, there is really no process in place for the public to be heard prior to the council meeting,” Basson wrote in the letter she submitted to the city.

Basson’s letter went on to say that the process provides the perception that “this is being done on purpose to push the contract through before anyone can stop it.”

Duddlesten said she will share the feedback from Monday’s workshop with council members in briefings before next week’s council meeting. The changes to the city’s solid waste ordinance were introduced in February, but Councilwoman Lois Tarkanian said amid hearing concerns, particularly from labor groups, she wanted the council to wait to discuss those until April. Citing years left on the current franchise agreement, Tarkanian said at that time “we’re not in a big hurry.”

Contact Jamie Munks at jmunks@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0340. Find @JamieMunksRJ on Twitter.