Flint, MI– Mayor Sheldon Neeley announced that Republic Services will continue to provide waste collection services for the immediate future, as an “act of goodwill,” despite no new contract.
According to a press release from the city on July 1, Neeley will be calling a special meeting for the Flint City Council to reconvene and “take action to ensure waste collection services continue uninterrupted in the city.”
At the last city council meeting on June 30, the council approved a 30-day contract extension for the company, rather than the 90-day contract extension the administration brought before the council on June 28.
The administration requested the 90 days to have enough time to redo the bid process for waste collection services in the city, after the first process was done in violation of the charter.
According to the city’s press release, the 30-day contract extension has not been accepted by Republic Services, and would not be “workable for the city,” as the next long-term waste services contract is not expected until October.
“We are thankful to Republic Services for stepping up and being willing to fill this gap, but we need a resolution to this issue. We cannot leave this critically important service to residents in limbo with no guarantees for continued service,” Mayor Neeley said in the release.