After months of a heated dispute that threatened to spill into the courtroom, a tentative agreement has reportedly been reached between the city of Jacksonville and Meridian Waste, its garbage collection service for the Northside. The Jacksonville City Council is set to potentially approve the deal by the end of March, which according to a statement obtained by Jax Today, would extend Meridian's contract by six years, keep annual rate increases capped at 5%, and eliminate the need for a rate review process in following years.
This emerged from a contentious period where Mayor Donna Deegan initially vetoed the 29% rate increase council approved in December, branding it as "unnecessary and wasteful", reported by Jax Today. This decision was later overridden by the city council, followed by a threat from Meridian to pursue legal action. The agreement now seems to have intentionally found a middle-ground in order to assure long-term contract stability and service quality, while saving the city potentially expensive litigation.
Some significant terms of the deal, as First Coast News reported, include an introductory base rate of $22.39 per month per premise for the upcoming fiscal year. Yet, a part of this increase, $1.03, will be deferred desperately until Oct. 31, aimed at minimizing the impact on the city's reserve funds. Furthermore, Meridian Waste committed to investing $150,000 over three years in community projects benefiting a variety of civic initiatives.
In a statement provided by News4Jax, Mayor Deegan praised the collaborative effort, saying, "I appreciate this opportunity to collaborate with Meridian Waste on a solution that works for the city and the company." Dave Shepler, Area President of Meridian Waste, echoed this sentiment, asserting that the proposed amendment charts a course to fulfill the needs of stakeholders while remaining fiscally responsible to the community.
The proposed agreement is poised to smoothly make its way through a City Council vote, following a public hearing slated for March 25, based on the emergency bill filing.
