Cape Coral, Waste Pro, negotiating payment plan

May 27, 2021 By CHUCK BALLARO 3 min read

Cape Coral City Manager Rob Hernandez appears to be ready to give the city’s trash collector an opportunity to lighten its load financially in terms of money owed in the wake of non-collection complaints and the city’s resultant decision to impose fines.

Waste Pro has implemented practices to get collections back on a timely track, he told Cape Coral City Council Wednesday night.

Over the last week, Waste Pro has hired four new drivers in addition to the 15 they already have.

They have developed partnerships with local groups to create job fairs, with the last one being the most successful to date, with 55 candidates showing up, four seriously qualified candidates, and the local recruiter beginning to schedule interviews. Also, retention efforts have been viewed as a positive.

All three bulk subcontractors remain in place, yard waste routes have caught up and are back on schedule, and city crews are no longer assisting in collecting yard waste. That discontinued on May 19, with the city servicing 4,811 homes at a cost of $308,069.

The temporary bulk drop off locations at City Hall and Cultural Park Theater will be discontinued this Saturday and Monday, respectively. The three remaining sites at the Northwest Softball Complex, Festival Park and Pelican Baseball Complex remain open for now.

The number of calls had risen to 1,593 in March, with 826 missed pickups reported the last six days in March resulting in $206,500 in fines.

April had 2,279 calls for service resulting in $773,000 in fines as they rose to $500 per incident. This left about $126,000 to be paid on Waste Pro’s invoice.

There have been 2,022 calls in May, however, many of them came earlier in the month. Calls have been dramatically reduced the last couple weeks.

The city has been discussing these “administrative charges” with Waste Pro. Hernandez said the city is witnessing a good-faith effort from Waste Pro in resolving these issues and is considering a plan for Waste Pro to pay down these charges over time so they have the capital to continue improvement of service on their side.

If the city seeks full payment in April, Waste Pro would only get paid $125,000 minus the fines and the use of local crews to pick up yard waste.

While most were open to negotiations concerning payments, Councilmember Dan Sheppard was concerned the city was setting a dangerous precedent.

“This will allow other companies to think they can get away with it. If we do this and allow companies to make money for work not done, what will the next company do when they slip?” Sheppard said.

When Councilmember Jennifer Nelson commented about Waste Pro’s strong relationship with the city, Sheppard answered, “I’m talking business. You’re talking relationships.”

“Yes, I am. Businesses are successful because of relationships. We need to negotiate in good faith,” Nelson said.

In the end the council seemed comfortable in the city and Hernandez continuing negotiations with Waste Pro and reaching an agreement concerning the payment of fees.

To reach CHUCK BALLARO, please email news@breezenewspapers.com