The city of Fort Wayne fines hauler $65K for lackluster service

Fort Wayne, Indiana, Mayor Tom Henry and city councilmen Jason Arp, Tom Freistroffer, Glynn Hines and Geoff Paddock provided an update on residential garbage and recycling collection efforts in the city June 12.  

Among the updates, the group noted that Red River Waste Solutions, Dripping Springs, Texas, has been fined $65,000 for failure to provide adequate waste collection service to area residents.

Red River Waste Solutions, Fort Wayne’s new garbage and recycling contractor, began providing services on January 2. The city and Red River recognize there have been some issues and are working each day to address concerns, the group noted.

“We’re committed to providing excellent services to residents,” Henry said. “We expect better results from Red River. My staff and I, along with city council, are adamant that improvements need to be made to ensure garbage and recycling collection procedures and outcomes meet the needs and expectations of our residents and neighborhoods. Though we recognize that challenges are to be expected with a new provider, Red River has assured us that they’re prepared and ready to enhance their daily operations. I’m optimistic that they’re up to the task. Over the past six months, my office has heard from residents complimentary of the work that Red River is doing as well as from those expressing concerns. No provider is perfect, and it’s appropriate for us to allow them additional time to perform their duties.”

Council President Freistroffer said, “City Council is very disappointed with repetitive resident complaints regarding Red River’s continued mishaps on garbage and recycling collection. The vote at council was focused on saving the taxpayers money, in taking the lowest bid and providing the best service to the city of Fort Wayne.”

The city’s solid waste department oversees the contract and is in communication with Red River, neighborhood partnerships, associations and elected officials to rectify the problem, the group said.

The city fined Red River for not meeting certain benchmarks as outlined in the garbage and recycling contract. A $15,000 fine was assessed in April, and an additional fine of more than $50,000 will be assessed for May.

Prior to the bid process, community focus groups provided input on residents’ expectations of garbage collection, which helped formulate the bid solicitation. The city received bids from five companies for the garbage and recycling collection contract, the highest of which was $9.61 million, and the lowest of which was $6.96 million from Red River. The city administration, solid waste department and representatives from city council then reviewed Red River’s submission to ascertain responsiveness. Indiana state law requires the contract to be awarded to the lowest and most responsive bidder, which was Red River. Fort Wayne’s Board of Public Works and the city council unanimously approved the contract with Red River.