We have reached round two of the dogfight between the city of Jacksonville and Waste Management.  The Jacksonville City Council held a committee-as-a-whole meeting on April 19th and narrowly voted down the proposed settlement of the Waste Management lawsuit against the city of Jacksonville by a vote of 9-8. We are not completely out of the woods yet. This vote has to be confirmed by the full City Council on April 27th. A change of heart by a member of the City Council and the April 19th vote could be reversed.

Here are some interesting news items concerning the landfill contract controversy. Clay County is doing what Jacksonville should do – bidding the landfill contract!  I guess that Waste Management did not have previous contracts with Clay County government that it could twist to its advantage and keep its competitors at bay.

The Florida Times Union editorial board complained that the committee-as-a-whole meeting mentioned above did not provide adequate time for discussion concerning the proposed settlement. We could hardly disagree with the Florida Times Union’s assertion that a contract worth more than $400 million over 26 years merits more than two hours of discussion. Let’s hope that Council President Richard Clark listens to this wise advice.

Finally, Concerned Taxpayers of Duval County (CTDC) President Victor Wilhelm had a letter to the editor concerning the landfill contract controversy published in the Florida Times Union. The CTDC has never wavered from its initial position that the contract must be bid and Wilhelm’s letter reflects this position.

What can you do? Let your City Councilperson know that competitive bidding of this contract not only makes good economic sense but assures an open and transparent process free of corruption.