ROBSTOWN, Tx — A garbage truck lifting trash may bring a sigh of relief to Robstown residents lately.
That is because a recent social media post claimed the city council had accepted a proposal to reduce trash pickup from two pickups a week to once a week. On October 7th, Republic Services, the second largest waste disposal provider in the United States, made a proposal to Robstown City Council to become the disposal provider for the city. However, the City Council motioned to authorize the negotiation of the proposal.
One of the options in the proposal would be for trash pickup to go down to once a week and an increase in trash usage fees.
Residents of Robstown currently pay $28.34 per month in trash fees, whereas Republic is offering $21.82 per home for ten years. This would also come with a 5 percent increase every year, which would reflect in an increase in taxes for Robstown residents. The city has the right to terminate the contract if Republic does not meet performance standards.
“Republic Services did offer a proposal to our city council, and they authorized us to negotiate with Republic. We are still working those numbers and reviewing that proposal. We want to make sure it's the best for the city and, more importantly, the best for our residents,” said Jacinda Martinez, Secretary for the City of Robstown.
There was some confusion on social media about the fact that the City Council had already approved the proposal due to various circumstances. One of them was a waste disposal worker going on vacation, while the only other worker left the position Friday. One of the garbage trucks is also going under maintenance repairs. These factors caused a delay in trash pickups.
The city of Robstown expects the trash pickup schedule to return to normal as early as this week.
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