City officials are proposing amendments to a $479 million contract with Waste Management Inc. that would allow minority- and women-owned businesses to stay in Fort Worth as reports of missed trash collections increase. There will be no need to hire.
The change, scheduled for a May 14 vote in Congress, would zero out the waste management requirement for subcontracting with a minimum of 25% minority companies. The Waste Management Authority requested adjustments to the contract in accordance with the council’s agenda.
Department of Environmental Services spokeswoman Laura McCartney said Fort Worth is working with Waste Management to review the data to improve route consistency, improve service levels and increase the number of disabled residents in need of haulage services. He said he has identified strategies to improve customer service to residents. Adjusting the terms of the agreement will allow the city to cover more routes and give it more options to meet service demands, McCartney said.
The contract amendment would affect Knight Waste Services of Fort Worth, a Black-owned company that has been the exclusive minority vendor for waste management for more than 20 years. The business is run by brothers Marcus and Richard L. Knight, who inherited the company from their late father, Richard Knight Jr., a former Dallas city manager and businessman.
In a joint statement, Marcus and Richard L. Knight said, “The Board of Trustees will consider actions that could ultimately jeopardize the existence of Knight Waste, its nearly 40 employees, and the families they support.” I feel anxious knowing that this is the case.”
The Waste Management Authority did not respond to requests for comment. McCartney said he could not discuss details of Waste Management’s plans to subcontract with Knight or how common it is for cities to waive operating capital requirements in contracts.
The move follows weeks of criticism leveled at the Night Waste Service. In a May 7 presentation, Fort Worth Environmental Services Director Cody Wittenberg said Waste Management and its contractors attempt about 1.1 million services each month. From October to March, the city recorded about 1,600 missed collections each month. If Waste Management meets industry standards, Wittenberg said, he doubts that number will exceed 1,100.
Last year, when complaints about neglected garbage collection increased, the city gave Waste Management a six-month exemption from capital requirements, allowing the company to take over some of Knight’s garbage collection routes. Wittenberg previously told the report. This exemption expired on May 8th.
Since then, city staff has reviewed Waste Management’s contract in accordance with the Fort Worth Business Equity Ordinance and “determined that the market does not support the business equity requirements,” according to the proposal.
City Councilman Charlie Lauersdorf said he would like to remove the requirement completely because he believes the Waste Management Agency could take over more routes and better serve constituents in north Fort Worth. I support it vociferously. He expects his council colleagues to also support the bill, citing Knight’s poor performance.
“They were told over and over again and had ample opportunity to improve the service,” Rauersdorff said in the report. “If there were a sufficient number of (capital) waste disposal companies among the applicants, I think this requirement should remain in place, but that is not the case. It just hurts our feet.”
The Order meets regularly with city officials and waste management personnel to discuss the root causes of service delivery issues and what steps are being taken to resolve them. said.
“Our commitment to service has never wavered, and we acknowledge that at times we have fallen short of that commitment,” Marcus and Robert L. Knight said, adding that service has recently improved.
The entire waste industry faces challenges, and it would be a misconception to think that Knight Waste Services is alone in this regard, the Knights said.
“Ultimately, for the city to consider eliminating contractual support for (stock) corporations would send an unfortunate message to the (stock) business community,” they said.
Alex Jimenez, past president of the Fort Worth Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, said he believes Waste Management and city officials should be responsible for ensuring smooth operations for contractors. He worries that blaming minority entrepreneurs for any problems or deficiencies and then removing requirements for minority businesses would send a clear message to other minority-owned businesses. He added that
“The relationship between minority communities and the city is divisive. I haven’t seen it this bad in a long time,” Jimenez said. “If they do something like this, it’s going to make minority communities say, ‘We don’t matter in this city.’ It’s going to make the division even worse.”
Rauersdorf, a veteran and Marine Corps reservist, said he is encouraging veteran-owned businesses to win contracts at the city level. He said if a veteran-owned company wasn’t providing services up to the city’s standards, he would say the same thing to his executives that Knight told him. “If we can’t do the job we’re paying you to do, we’ll do it.” We’re going to go with someone else.
“Just because a business is minority-owned or women-owned doesn’t give someone a free pass to not provide the services they’re contracted for,” Rauersdorf said. “Ultimately, they need to be accountable and they need to take responsibility for their actions.”
Council members discussed changes to the waste management contract at the April 30 board meeting. Council members Elizabeth Beck, Gina Bivens, Alan Blaylock, Michael Crain, Carlos Flores, Macy Hill, Janet Martinez, Chris Nettles, and Jared Williams. He was unable to comment at this time. Publication on Monday.
Labor shortages and shrinking profit margins in the waste industry are making it difficult for small contractors like Knight to meet service expectations, said Val, the city’s former solid waste contract services manager.・Mr. Familo stated. Waste Management has the resources and the ability to hire more workers to address the collection leakage, but Knight doesn’t have that, she said.
“I feel like they’re being scapegoated” on the recall issue, Familo said. “They’re really good people to work with. They’re honest. I feel like it’s much easier to blame them.”
Familo said city officials held up Night Waste Services as an example of excellent service at a time when other garbage contractors were struggling to meet performance expectations.
“They were great,” Familo said. “And I feel like if given the opportunity, they might be able to do that again.”
Waste Management’s contract was extended in 2021 without a competitive bidding process, with the next renewal scheduled for 2033. In addition to removing capital requirements, the council also plans to vote on requirements to allow access to more facilities and create a consistent schedule for fixing deficiencies. Mr McCartney said they were collecting all service areas including trash, recycling, yard waste and bulky waste.
Reporter Cecilia Lenzen contributed reporting.
Haley Samsel is the environmental reporter for Fort Worth Report. Contact details are as follows: haley.samsel@fortworthreport.org.
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