Clarendon officials this week continue to work with Waste Connections to resolve issues with garbage collection in the city.
The city council responded to citizens’ complaints about trash not being picked up by meeting with its attorney on October 10 and then authorizing an attorney to write a demand letter to Waste Connections.
City Administrator Brian Barboza said Monday the sanitation company contacted him after they read the Enterprise’s online coverage of that meeting.
“I’m not sure the letter had even been sent yet,” Barboza said.
Waste Connections Amarillo District Manager Bobby Fira sent a letter to Barboza referencing the ClarendonLive.com article and stating that the company strives to maintain good service.
“We do acknowledge there have been some service issues over the last two months, and we want to apologize.” Fira says in the letter obtained by the Enterprise. “There have been some extenuating circumstances though. Our long-standing Clarendon driver retired from WCN on 8/16/2024 which required us to employ a new driver in the city. We have also experienced some truck issues with a very old truck that was primarily being used in Clarendon. We have worked vigorously to resolve these issues.”
Fira said going forward their driver will check in with the city daily to address missed stops, he will have a map to mark his progress in following the schedule, and the driver will have a camera system to record his stops.
Fira also asked for the city’s assistance in resolving issues with low-hanging wires in some areas of town.
“We value open communication with city officials and believe that working together transparently is the best approach to addressing any concerns,” Fira said.
“We would like to work this out amicably, with us immediately sharpening our service level to your standards and having a clear understanding of what your ultimate expectations are.”
Fira also said even though the company’s contract doesn’t expire until September 2025, they would be open to starting the request for proposals (RFP) process to “explore ways to retain this partnership.”
Barboza said he has also been contacted by another member of the Waste Connections staff and was told the company didn’t feel like it had been given a chance to respond to problems and was unaware of the complaints. He said the company is making some changes.
“We’re still getting some complaints [at City Hall] but not as much as before,” Barboza said. “We’re going to continue to work with Waste Connections to get these issues resolved.”
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