San Angelo Taxpayers Got Trashed In Republic Deal

OPINION — San Angelo’s City Council caved to Republic Waste in the new recycling deal.

Sure, Republic was threatening to charge higher fees because they can’t get anyone to buy a lot of the recycled stuff anymore. But wait a minute, wasn’t the recycling contract part of the deal Republic cut to get control of the lucrative landfill contract from the city? They also get to pick up trash from commercial customers.

It was a deal worth about $250 million. Republic said they were losing $55,000 a month picking up recycling, without having to provide proof.

Who cares? They made the deal. Why is it government that feels they need to cater to a private company?

The surrender by San Angelo City Council comes in the same week the 3rd Court of Appeals rules a lawsuit over the last time Republic got caught cheating San Angelo business owners can’t be a class action suit.

Republic overcharged commercial customers by at least 6.5 million dollars. Who knows how much because a draft audit of the rip-off that was never finished said it was too much to calculate.

Republic later claimed, again without any proof, that all but about $250,000 of the money was paid back. Republic refused to disclose the names of those San Angelo business owners they claim they couldn’t find, and San Angelo City Council never forced them to share the names. Guess in trash world, a quarter of a million bucks is chump change.

Dolcefino Consulting has repeatedly offered to try to help find the folks Republic and their crack lawyers claim they can’t find, and we will do it for free for taxpayers.