City, Trash Haulers End Years of Litigation
After more than four years of litigation and bitter accusations between the city and its garbage hauler, the City Council on Tuesday decided to give Newco Waste Systems a new eight-year contract.
The City Council voted 3 to 0 for the contract, which calls for the lowest trash rates in the San Gabriel Valley and ends all outstanding litigation, City Manager Don Hopper said.
Mayor Bob Bartlett abstained from the vote because he was named by Newco in its lawsuit against the city. Councilman Robert Hammond was absent.
In 1996, the city tried to end its contract with the garbage hauler. But a judge ruled that the contract ran to 2000.
In a countersuit, Newco officials accused the mayor of demanding campaign contributions. Bartlett denied the allegation.
“At some point the lawsuits had taken on a life of their own, and it didn’t make sense to continue down that path,” Hopper said.
The new deal also provides for automated recycling for single-family homes, he said.
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