Nevada state Sens. Patricia Farley and Mo Denis are contributing to the clamor for the Las Vegas City Council聽to delay action on an agreement with waste hauler Republic Services until there is a more comprehensive look at the waste management industry.
The senators wrote a letter to Mayor Carolyn Goodman and the City Council this week asking them to delay action on a proposed long-term contract extension with Republic. The city and the waste company have been negotiating for more than a year despite repeated calls for the contract to go through a competitive bidding process.
Farley, I-Las Vegas, and Denis, D-Las Vegas, this month introduced Senate Bill 315 鈥渢o begin a comprehensive policy discussion around this critical and, at times, controversial industry,鈥� Farley wrote.
It鈥檚 been more than 25 years since the state has 鈥渟ubstantively鈥� looked at recycling and waste management issues, the letter states.
鈥淏ecause of this, in recent years, these issues have turned into controversial and highly volatile issues all over the state, oftentimes to the detriment of our constituents, the environment and Nevada-owned businesses.鈥�
The Las Vegas City Council is expected to take up both a framework ordinance setting guidelines for a single-stream recycling program in the city and a proposed long-term contract extension with Republic at its April 5 meeting. The agenda had not been posted as of Tuesday afternoon.
Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman said she鈥檇 like to see the council take a vote. She called a 12-year extension to the franchise agreement 鈥渁 little much,鈥� and said she鈥檇 like to see that reduced, but is 鈥渧ery supportive of Republic鈥� and said residents who already have single-stream, or no sort recycling 鈥渓ove it.鈥� But if there are waste disposal contracts the city can bid out that are 鈥減art of the whole picture,鈥� Goodman is in favor of that, she said.
A聽Nevada Monopoly
The legislators鈥� letter calls Nevada 鈥渙ne of the most monopolized states in the country鈥� when it comes to waste and recycling. Nevada is also unique because its two primary franchisees, Republic Services in
Southern Nevada and Waste Management in Northern Nevada, own the major landfills.
鈥淎nd, while franchise agreements play a role in our community fabric, without a statewide policy, they can have devastating impacts to existing business, stifle technology growth and progress and leave residents without recourse for dissatisfaction,鈥� the letter states.
The letter invites city leaders to get involved in the state-level policy discussion 鈥渟o we can begin to set a statewide waste and recycling policy direction for the state.鈥�
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