Reporting on the Rio Grande

By Raul Garcia

One hour before the swearing in of Mayor-elect Mike Wise on June 15, 2010 the Weslaco City Council voted to enter negotiations with Allied Waste Services to explore amending their existing contract to pick up the public's solid waste.

The City of Weslaco’s 2007 five year Fiscal Forecast estimated the Sanitation Fund’s Garbage Fees would have produced 2.8 million in 2011.  In 2006 the actual revenue Weslaco raked in with the Garbage Fees alone was 2.2 million.

Discussions to consider entering a contract with Allied Waste Management for collection of solid waste services dates all the way back to June 2004. According to the December 7, 2004 meeting minutes, then Mayor Joe Sanchez asked if the city was amending Allied Waste Management’s current contract and City Attorney Ramon Vela said it would not be since Allied Waste’s Brush contract was on a month-to-month basis.

According to the Weslaco City Council Minutes on March 16, 2010 Commissioner Cuellar made a motion to amend the existing contract noting the City spent $200,000 to maintain the operation of the solid waste collection on an annual basis and the city would save on equipment repairs and purchasing equipment.

At the June 15, 2010 City Council meeting when City Manager Leo Olivares was given authorization to negotiate with Allied Waste Management under the terms of the current contract a rate to collect the residential garbage for the City of Weslaco and present the proposal to the City Council for their approval.

Mayor Pro-Tem Rene Rodriguez and Commissioner Jerry Tafolla asked to table the motion because of concern regarding the employees and to explore the benefits of privatizing the Sanitation Fund’s Garbage Collection.

“It should have been tabled because we didn’t go out for public sale,” Commissioner Tafolla said. “We should have allowed other companies to submit their bid.”

All Valley Waste owner, Paula Villanueva said in a letter to the City of Weslaco, the city has  a waste management collection system in place and it would be a big mistake to give the residential waste contract to a private company.

“The city will be committing financial suicide by eliminating this source of income,” Villanueva stated.


One year later the garbage collection fleet and employees are gone so is the City of Weslaco better off with the privatization of the residential garbage collection to Allied Waste Management?