Burlington

City gets $100,000 in settlement of trash contract dispute

By Ed Nadolski

Editor in Chief

The City of Burlington will receive a $100,000 settlement from its former trash and recycling collection contractor as part of an out-of-court settlement approved by the Common Council March 20.

The city sued Advanced Disposal Services Solid Waste Midwest – formerly known as Veolia – in October 2015 contending the contractor billed too much for trash and recycling services for city residences during a contract that was in place from 2009 through 2014, according to City Administrator Carina Walters.

She said officials believe Advanced overcharged the city due to what she called a “mistake in the number of households.”

The error resulted in extra charges of $180,000, the city contends in the original suit.

Walters said a city staff member noticed the discrepancy, which prompted officials to seek reimbursement for those charges.

According to online court records, attorneys for Advanced sought a summary judgment in their favor in 2016, contending the city didn’t bring the discrepancy to the company’s attention while the contract was in effect.

However, the city’s attorney countered during a hearing on the motion in November 2016 that it was the responsibility of Advanced to maintain an accurate count of households, according to court records.

The court denied the motion for summary judgment and the matter was scheduled for a jury trial.

In the meantime, Walters said, attorneys for both sides continued to discuss the possibility of a settlement ahead of the September 2018 trial date.

To read the full story see the April 5 edition of the Burlington Standard Press.

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