Jacksonville's Office of General Counsel: City Council violated charter in Meridian Waste deal
The fight between the City of Jacksonville and one of its trash haulers took another step Monday toward a possible lawsuit.
The city's General Counsel has issued a binding written opinion saying City Council violated the charter when it approved a 29% rate increase for Meridian Waste. It amounted to $4 million per year over three years.
Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan vetoed the legislation this month and vowed not to pay the hauler even after Council overrode her veto.
The rate review committee had recommended a 5% increase. The Mayor's Office sent Action News Jax a statement that reads in part:
'We stand by our original proposal of a 5% increase that went through the rate review process. We are open to and look forward to discussing further with Meridian Waste.'
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Meridian Waste sent a statement in response to the General Counsel's opinion that reads:
'Meridian Waste stands by the terms of its fairly negotiated agreement with the City that was reviewed, considered and approved by following the long-standing formal rules of the Consolidated Government, pursuant to an open, transparent and diligent process that took place over the past several months. This included a City-code required tri-annual rate review process that is also an express provision of the City solid waste agreements that allows for the setting of rates by the City Council to adjust for market conditions and projected expenses to ensure consistent, quality residential solid waste collections for the next 3 years. As was evidenced in this process, $22.39 is well below the $24.11 rate of the Area III Jacksonville hauler as well as other nearby cities and counties with rates ranging from $24.80 (Hillsborough Co.) to $38.08 (Neptune Beach).
'Therefore, it is not only highly unfortunate, but perplexing, that the Mayor's Office is choosing to pursue this unreasonable, unproductive and, in the Company's view, illegal path, on a matter that has been thoroughly debated and considered in the public, pursuant to long-established City rules, resulting in a definitive approval by the City Council, which is the appropriating body for the City and the rate-setting authority for the City.
'No one wishes a repeat of 2021 when Jacksonville made national news for garbage and debris littering its streets due to underperforming contracts and below market compensation rates. Meridian Waste will pursue all legal avenues necessary to enact the properly adopted legislation overwhelmingly passed in December, and decisively upheld in January.'
Sources close to the situation tell Action News Jax's Ben Becker that it is likely Meridian will sue the city at some point to be paid the $12 million.
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