The West Haven City Council voted to adopt Resolution 51-2025 on Oct. 22, extending the city's contract with Waste Management and approving several changes to the contract's terms. The council also moved to amend the municipal code so the legal definition of "residential unit" matches the one in the contract.

Council members and city staff said the new contract periods will be five years, and the contract sets a firm 3% cap on automatic annual rate increases. Don Warneke, a city staff member presenting the item, said the 3% cap replaces prior language that allowed a 3% automatic increase or a vendor petition for a higher increase subject to council approval. Warneke said the change was intended to give both the city and the vendor more predictability when budgeting.

The contract update also clarifies several definitions used throughout the agreement and adds a provision that Waste Management will collect trash from all city sites and facilities at no additional cost to the city. Warneke explained the agreement gives the city the discretion to direct Waste Management to dispose of collected trash at a different facility, provided the alternate location is within close proximity to the city's current disposal site; according to staff, doing so would not impose additional disposal costs to the city under the updated terms.

On insurance, staff said they negotiated a confidentiality arrangement that allows city reviewers to examine Waste Management's policy limits without requiring travel to the vendor's out-of-state office. Warneke said the vendor offered a confidentiality agreement and that the updated insurance limits exceed what had previously been in force, providing greater protection for the city.

Recycling services were explicitly excluded from the contract extension. Warneke told the council the city intends to pursue recycling as a separate procurement, likely through a statement of qualifications or a request for proposals, because the city wants a provider with the appropriate track record and capabilities for that service.

Blake, the on-line representative for Waste Management, was on the call and said he was available for questions. After discussion, the council voted in a roll-call vote to adopt Resolution 51-2025.

Votes at the roll call were recorded as: Council Member Saunders — yes; Council Member Dixon — yes; Council Member Marsh — yes; Council Member Kahl — yes; Council Member Schwab — yes. The motion carried.

The council subsequently opened and closed a public hearing on a related code amendment and adopted Ordinance 12-20-2025 to amend the city code to reflect the same residential-unit definition used in the contract.