The Clinton County Commissioners announced Tuesday morning that they have reached a new contract with Republic Services for operation of the Clinton County Landfill.
This agreement ends a long stalemate about the contract which replaces the original contract from 2005.
“Every group of Commissioners basically since 2005 have tried to come to a more equitable agreement with Republic and not been able to get done,” said Commissioners President Jordan Brewer. “And, one of the reasons it hasn’t been able to get it done is the agreement that was in place before this new one, there was no incentive for them (Republic) to come to the table.”
Brewer added there has been a lot of meetings, conversations and negotiations to get this agreement finalized.
The original contract had several issues such as having no end date and also had no clear definitions which led to disputes over tipping fees and gate rates.
Brewer and Clinton County Council President Alan Dunn got the negotiations between the two sides started by leading an audit of the previous contract.
Brewer also said that Republic Services had a lot of “artificial leverage” on their side which was another obstacle that had to be overcome.
“In any relationship, business partnership, negotiations, you have to have leverage or you’re not going to get anything you want,” said Brewer. “In reality, we had very little leverage. But we had to find a way to create it. We were able to do that with some of the things we wanted accomplished with a new agreement.”
Some of the items in the new contract include:
- Adjustment of Tipping Fees: This will now be adjusted every two years based on Consumer Price Index (CPI) that will allow the county to capture of inflation over time.
- Increased Funding for Road Improvements: Republic Services will contribute $20,000 annually for road improvement in and around the landfill which is double the previous amount.
- Community Support: Republic Services will make an annual contribution of $25,000 to fund community service projects, including initially supporting the newly established Cemetery Association.
- Contract Duration: The new agreement will last until the landfill reaches its capacity which will provide a clear end date.
Brewer added that Republic Services will make an initial goodwill payment of $1.5 million upfront to replenish the county’s landfill fund, which supports various community projects that include fairground repairs and community service grants.
