At a special meeting Monday night, the Waynesburg Borough Council voted to approve the bidding documents and a formal solicitation for a new waste‑and‑refuse collection contract that will run for five years. The move follows a similar decision by the Franklin Township Board of Commissioners at its regular meeting earlier that day.
Why the contract is changing
Westmoreland Sanitary, operating under Noble Environmental, currently provides trash collection for both Waynesburg and Franklin Township. The company submitted a joint bid for the upcoming contract, emphasizing cost savings and coordinated pickup schedules, according to Borough Manager Athena Bowman.
Council members and township officials also discussed revisions to the contract language. The most notable change would allow the contractor to place a notice sticker on a resident’s door after 90 days of non‑payment, giving the homeowner two weeks to settle the balance before service is discontinued.
Addressing delinquent accounts
Borough Assistant Manager Bryan Cumberledge explained that the lack of clear consequences for unpaid bills has resulted in a growing backlog of delinquent accounts. Noble’s receivable report for the current year shows that 19 % of customers are behind on payments, with past‑due fees totaling $139,000.
“A lot of renters didn’t care,” Cumberledge said. “They just laughed because they could put the garbage out and they take it.” Adding the new payment‑penalty language would make the borough eligible for a discount on the contract, according to Cumberledge.
Other contract adjustments
The borough’s solicitor will also review a clause that currently permits the contractor to petition the municipalities for a rate increase at any time, with the goal of removing that provision.
Waynesburg’s bid package adds several streets—such as Church Street and Veterans Way—to the list of routes that must be serviced by smaller garbage trucks, improving access for narrower neighborhoods.
Recycling discussion set aside
Council member Lynne Snyder noted that the municipalities had considered adding a recycling component to the new agreement but ultimately decided against it because of cost concerns. “I think that’s a shame,” Snyder said. “It’s outrageous that they charge more when it’s the customer that’s doing the breaking down and all that.”
Next steps
Bids are due by 1:30 p.m. on October 26 and will be opened at 2 p.m. at the Franklin Township municipal building. After the bids are evaluated, the Waynesburg council will vote on the selected contract at its regular meeting in November, following a review by the borough solicitor.
The competitive bidding process reflects a commitment by both Waynesburg and Franklin Township to ensure fiscal responsibility, improve service reliability, and protect taxpayers from unnecessary waste‑collection costs.
Original reporting: Herald-Standard – latest news for Uniontown, Pennsylvania — read the source article.
