Dive summary:

• The city of Tampa is trying to get $972,000 back from Waste Management after being overcharged for commercial waste pick up during the past four years.
• The city claims that up to $1.4 million has been overpaid, while Waste Management acknowledges overcharges have occurred, they contend that it was only $972,712.
• The inaccuracies are based on a shuffling system of what areas Waste Management was servicing; at some point, Waste Management was no longer servicing certain neighborhoods but was still charging the city for them.

From the article:

Waste Management has a $1.76 million-per-year contract with the city to pick up waste at businesses in the central and northwest parts of the city. City trucks pick up 60 percent of Tampa's commercial solid waste, and Waste Management picks up 40 percent.

Tampa officials say the problems apparently began when, for example, one company would close at a location served by Waste Management and a new company would open in the same spot.

When that happened, city officials say they would submit a work order to Waste Management reflecting the change in business operations. But Waste Management would continue to bill the city for service to both the old and new businesses at the same location, according to Tampa public works and utility services administrator Mike Herr. ...