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OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD

Record of Proceedings

Sustainability & Beautification Committee Meeting on Refuse Contract - May 20, 2026

City Council — Wednesday, May 20, 2026

BodyToledo, Ohio

SessionCity Council

DateWednesday, May 20, 2026

StatusFILED

Video Record

0:00 / 2:04:09

Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it

1:35

We figured it out.

1:47

Good afternoon, I call to order this Sustainability and Beautification Committee on Wednesday, May 20th, 2026 at two PM.

1:54

Clerk will you please call the role?

1:56

Cole Mives, Jones, Driscoll, Kramer, McPherson, one present except for Melden, also present.

2:08

Morris also present.

2:12

Gaddis, also president, and President Williams also present.

2:17

Thank you so much, Clark.

2:19

Good afternoon, everyone.

2:20

Uh, thanks for coming to this important discussion.

2:24

We will be discussing the uh curbside refuse and recycling contract today.

2:28

Uh, in addition to uh to follow the bulk set out uh proposed legislation as well.

2:35

Uh if you a couple of housekeeping items if you wish to speak today, uh, and address the body.

2:42

There's a sign up sheet that's on the table uh to the to your left um over here.

2:47

Uh please feel free to sign up.

2:49

We will call everyone up in order.

2:50

Uh, you will likely get around three minutes or so to say what you have to say.

2:55

Uh we'd love to hear from you.

2:56

So please sign up if you are interested.

2:58

Um, the way this is gonna roll is we'll have an opening presentation by the by folks from the administration, um, and then in conjunction with some folks from uh Republic who are here with us uh today as well.

3:11

Um, we'll go through their uh proposals and and talk about what the proposed contract might look like, and then once we wrap up the republic discussion, we will move into the bulk set out discussion after that.

3:24

Wonderful.

3:25

So I will kick it off to the hand it off to the administration.

3:29

Wonderful.

3:30

Good afternoon.

3:30

Uh thank you, Chair Co Mines, members of council for having us today.

3:34

I'm Meghan Ropeson, Chief of Operations of the City of Toledo.

3:37

I'm joined by Director Joe Bosnaw of Department of Public Service, Commissioner Ryan Murphy of Solid Waste Division.

3:45

And we also have uh representatives from Republic Services here today with us, Rick Rolf and Giovanni Harper.

3:51

Uh so during the hearing today, we will review the proposed five year agreement with the option for five one year renewals that we have um legislation currently in committee for uh with Republic Services.

4:03

And additionally, we will provide information about the communication, the technology enhancements and service level agreements.

4:10

We'll also walk through the proposed um agreement price and contract terms, as well as focus on some timely refuse and recycling collection services, communication enhancements, uh technology and camera um enhancements that Republic Services is going to share with us today.

4:28

So I'm gonna turn the presentation over to Rick and Jamani, and they'll walk you through some information.

4:39

Good afternoon, everyone.

4:33

Jamani Harper.

4:41

And first of all, I'd like to say thank you to the sustainability committee as well as the council.

4:48

Um inclusive also of the administration, uh, for allowing us to engage into a opportunity for uh to continue our partnership.

4:59

We've proudly served the city of Toledo for over 15 years, and we look forward to serving the city for many more years.

5:07

I'm joined today with my partner here, the GM, Rick Roth, as well as a number of Republic employees who have decided to who are participating today.

5:19

Sean Warren, our operations manager, and Rochelle Bowen, our municipal manager.

5:26

So I'll kick things off.

5:27

Certainly, if there are questions, we can work through those as well.

5:32

But I'll start off with our agenda today.

5:34

I think you all have a copy of the PowerPoint presentation.

5:38

Well, we will work through technology, communication, customer service, and education, the contract overview and service offerings, and then finally we'll wrap up with the service level agreements that we've been working with the administration to include into the potential new contract.

6:01

Alright, when you think about when at Republic camera technology is not new for us.

6:08

One of the first generations of camera technology was built around the idea of safety.

6:14

Safety for your community, safety for the driver, and it also allowed for feedback, direct real-time feedback to the driver of the surrounding around them.

6:24

So our first generation in our trucks today are equipped with camera technology.

6:28

And so as you think about the future, what I'd like to share with you is the new technology that will allow a bit more of transparency with service, it will allow the opportunity for the city and republic to have direct some direct uh ideas of where we are today.

6:52

And I said that thank you.

6:54

So just a little bit, and I know we have the PowerPoint presentation here.

7:00

Um real-time tracking.

7:03

So every truck, the city will have access to our portal.

7:06

It will be a shared portal where you have real-time tracking of every truck and service.

7:11

There will be a breadcrumb trail, which I'll explain how the technology works of every house that is that has a trash can out or not out.

7:21

You will have the opportunity to be able to request uh on videos for either for services that have been completed or not out, as are the ones where we would say a service is not out or missed.

7:36

We would be able to look up uh direct address for any service event that has occurred.

7:43

So, in the event there is a missed pickup and there is a customer who says, Hey, Republic miss me, we would have video evidence, and I'll walk through that on our next slide on how we are able to see the lift image as well as the property image when our truck comes in front of the house.

8:00

And then later in 2026, we anticipate while this technology is available for the waste and recycling collection today.

8:10

This will also be available for bulk pickup for verification and compliance.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting

Engineering And Infrastructure█████████████████████████████████████████████56%

Fiscal Sustainability██████████████17%

Community Engagement████████████15%

Technology and Innovation██████7%

Water And Wastewater Management███4%

Environmental Protection█1%

Summary of Proceedings

Sustainability & Beautification Committee Meeting on Refuse Contract - May 20, 2026

The Sustainability & Beautification Committee of the City of Toledo met on Wednesday, May 20, 2026 at 2:00 PM in City Council Chambers to discuss the proposed five-year curbside refuse and recycling contract with Republic Services, including technology enhancements, service level agreements (SLAs), bulk collection policies, and associated fee increases. The meeting also previewed upcoming legislation on bulk set out enforcement. Present were Chair Nick Komives, Vice Chair Brittany Jones, Mac Driscoll, Erin Kramer, and members Morris, Gaddis, and President Williams; Cerssandra McPherson was absent.

Public Comments & Testimony

Deanna Schreiner (Bancroft Hills resident) expressed concern over eviction-related bulk set outs, stating that landlords often leave furniture and bags that are then slashed by scrappers, creating messes. She advocated for requiring landlords to use dumpsters for cleanouts to reduce blight.
Fanny Effler (2830 Collingwood Boulevard, Old Town neighborhood) praised Republic's service and attendance at neighborhood meetings, but strongly opposed the proposed refuse fee increase of approximately 60% (from $11.50 to $18.50 per month for non-homestead households). She urged the city to collect delinquent water and tax bills before raising fees.
Janice Flayff (Point Place resident) thanked council for including performance-based renewal provisions but argued the annual increases were too high for average Toledoans, requesting reductions in non-essential budget items.
Mark Schmiehausen criticized lack of enforcement of existing city regulations regarding bulk set outs, particularly against landlords. He called for creation of an ad hoc committee with block watch representatives, city, Republic, and the Teamsters to monitor contract performance.

Discussion Items

Technology & Communication Enhancements: Republic Services presented new camera and real-time tracking technology that will allow the city to monitor truck locations and service completion via a shared portal. Residents can use the existing "Track My Truck" feature, but the new system provides live data. Councilmembers asked about data retention (at least one year), compatibility with the city's Ptolemy system, and whether the technology improves the customer experience. The administration noted it would help Engage Toledo respond faster.
Customer Service & Dedicated Agents: Republic committed to two specialized customer service agents dedicated to Toledo, a customer retention supervisor, and a logistics analyst. Councilmembers questioned whether two agents were sufficient and how call volume was estimated (noted that bulk call volumes dropped after the January switch to weekly five-item bulk).
Bulk Collection Policy: Under the proposed contract, bulk collection will continue as weekly on the same day as trash, with a limit of five items. The city aims to encourage rental of small dumpsters for larger cleanouts and to extend landfill life. Councilmembers expressed concerns about evictions, emergencies (tornado, flooding), and residents lacking transportation to disposal sites. Councilmember Meldon suggested a hybrid model with quarterly call-ahead bulk. Councilmember Gaddis stressed the need for an emergency plan. The administration acknowledged these concerns and said unique situations can be addressed separately.
Service Level Agreements (SLAs): The city and Republic have aligned on eight SLA categories (e.g., monthly service completion rate, response time, spill cleanup) but specific targets (percentages, hours) are not yet set. Councilmembers demanded clarity, enforcement mechanisms, and financial penalties for non-compliance. Chief Robson indicated the administration will provide proposed percentages and seek council input. Councilmember Meldon advocated for rebate checks to residents if penalties are collected.
Fuel Surcharge: The contract includes a fuel adjustment based on a lagging national average (U.S. Department of Energy). Councilmembers questioned whether Republic's actual fuel costs match the index and suggested using a local Toledo MSA index. The administration noted the formula is industry standard and involves both upside and downside risk.
Refuse Fee Increase: The municipal solid waste fee, last raised in 2016, is proposed to increase to $18.50/month for non-homestead (up from $11.50) in 2026, rising to $21.50 by 2028. Homestead exempted would go from $6.50 to $10.50. The administration compared fees to cities like Lima ($24.86), Detroit ($21.67), and Fort Wayne ($20.32), stating Toledo would remain competitive.
Councilmember Positions: Council President Williams, initially opposed to Republic, expressed grudging support after negotiations, citing $6 million savings over the priority contract and inclusion of KPIs. Councilmember Jones urged public monthly reporting to her Public Health Committee. Councilmember Morris and Serantu stressed the need for defined penalties and enforcement. Councilmember Kramer requested council input on SLA numbers.

Key Outcomes

No vote was taken; the committee scheduled a vote on the contract and refuse fee increase for the upcoming Tuesday (May 26, 2026).
Direction to Administration: Finalize service level agreement targets with council input before the contract is signed. The contract will be for five years with five one-year renewal options, beginning September 1, 2026.
Ad Hoc Committee: Councilmember Komives expressed support for a quarterly ad hoc committee with stakeholders to monitor contract performance, echoing public testimony.
Next Steps: The meeting adjourned at 4:00 PM with plans for a follow-up hearing on bulk set out enforcement legislation.

Meeting Transcript

We figured it out. Good afternoon, I call to order this Sustainability and Beautification Committee on Wednesday, May 20th, 2026 at two PM. Clerk will you please call the role? Cole Mives, Jones, Driscoll, Kramer, McPherson, one present except for Melden, also present. Morris also present. Gaddis, also president, and President Williams also present. Thank you so much, Clark. Good afternoon, everyone. Uh, thanks for coming to this important discussion. We will be discussing the uh curbside refuse and recycling contract today. Uh, in addition to uh to follow the bulk set out uh proposed legislation as well. Uh if you a couple of housekeeping items if you wish to speak today, uh, and address the body. There's a sign up sheet that's on the table uh to the to your left um over here. Uh please feel free to sign up. We will call everyone up in order. Uh, you will likely get around three minutes or so to say what you have to say. Uh we'd love to hear from you. So please sign up if you are interested. Um, the way this is gonna roll is we'll have an opening presentation by the by folks from the administration, um, and then in conjunction with some folks from uh Republic who are here with us uh today as well. Um, we'll go through their uh proposals and and talk about what the proposed contract might look like, and then once we wrap up the republic discussion, we will move into the bulk set out discussion after that. Wonderful. So I will kick it off to the hand it off to the administration. Wonderful. Good afternoon. Uh thank you, Chair Co Mines, members of council for having us today. I'm Meghan Ropeson, Chief of Operations of the City of Toledo. I'm joined by Director Joe Bosnaw of Department of Public Service, Commissioner Ryan Murphy of Solid Waste Division. And we also have uh representatives from Republic Services here today with us, Rick Rolf and Giovanni Harper. Uh so during the hearing today, we will review the proposed five year agreement with the option for five one year renewals that we have um legislation currently in committee for uh with Republic Services. And additionally, we will provide information about the communication, the technology enhancements and service level agreements. We'll also walk through the proposed um agreement price and contract terms, as well as focus on some timely refuse and recycling collection services, communication enhancements, uh technology and camera um enhancements that Republic Services is going to share with us today. So I'm gonna turn the presentation over to Rick and Jamani, and they'll walk you through some information. Good afternoon, everyone. Jamani Harper. And first of all, I'd like to say thank you to the sustainability committee as well as the council. Um inclusive also of the administration, uh, for allowing us to engage into a opportunity for uh to continue our partnership. We've proudly served the city of Toledo for over 15 years, and we look forward to serving the city for many more years. I'm joined today with my partner here, the GM, Rick Roth, as well as a number of Republic employees who have decided to who are participating today. Sean Warren, our operations manager, and Rochelle Bowen, our municipal manager. So I'll kick things off. Certainly, if there are questions, we can work through those as well. But I'll start off with our agenda today. I think you all have a copy of the PowerPoint presentation. Well, we will work through technology, communication, customer service, and education, the contract overview and service offerings, and then finally we'll wrap up with the service level agreements that we've been working with the administration to include into the potential new contract. Alright, when you think about when at Republic camera technology is not new for us. One of the first generations of camera technology was built around the idea of safety. Safety for your community, safety for the driver, and it also allowed for feedback, direct real-time feedback to the driver of the surrounding around them. So our first generation in our trucks today are equipped with camera technology. And so as you think about the future, what I'd like to share with you is the new technology that will allow a bit more of transparency with service, it will allow the opportunity for the city and republic to have direct some direct uh ideas of where we are today. And I said that thank you.

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