Dive Summary:
- Residents in Fresno, California voted by the slim margin of 801 votes to keep municipal waste collection instead of privatizing its trash and recycling services, with the final numbers coming in at 29,701 to 28,900 to maintain the current system.
- Had privatization passed, Mid Valley Disposal would have payed the city $2.5 million in franchise fees in addition to a $1.5 million signing bonus for providing waste removal services for 105,000 Fresno residents.
- Mayor Ashley Swearengin said the community was slated to save an anticipated 17% on collection fees had the vote passed, but now that the vote has failed, layoffs are imminent.
From the article:
"The mayor has promised that all city trash workers would be guaranteed a job with Mid Valley Disposal for at least one year if the outsourcing plan passed... the jobs would average $17 an hour as opposed to the $23 an hour they earn with the city."
"...the special election reportedly cost the city at least $750,000. If the measure had passed, that money would have come out of the $1.5 million signing bonus from Mid Valley Disposal..."
