Fresno County Supervisors Order Overhaul of Trash Contracts, Rejecting Staff’s Two-Year Extension Plan

The Fresno County Board of Supervisors unanimously directed staff Aug. 11 to return in 60 days with a completely rewritten 10-year trash-hauler contract, rejecting their own staff’s recommendation for a simpler two-year extension of existing agreements.

The decision affects seven trash companies operating in unincorporated Fresno County under contracts set to expire in February 2028. Current haulers include five family-run businesses — Industrial Waste and Salvage, Peña’s Disposal, Mid Valley Disposal, Miramonte Sanitation, and Western Solid Waste — plus national operators Waste Management and Republic Services.

“As a business person, I would want stability,” Supervisor Brian Pacheco said. “I wouldn’t want to wait two years for stability; I would want that right now.”

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County staff had initially proposed consolidating to a single trash hauler for the entire county at a July 14 meeting. After pushback from existing haulers, staff came back Aug. 11 recommending a two-year contract extension to give time to work with incoming supervisors — three current board members are leaving office by year’s end.

Annie Shelton, a staff member with the Department of Public Works and Planning Resource Division, told the board the existing contracts are broken. “The way that the contract works right now — and I’ve been very vocal about this — is that it just really doesn’t work,” Shelton said, citing vague language that prevents the county from enforcing compliance.

Board members questioned why staff needed two years to fix contracts they said were failing. Pacheco directed staff to come back with “a modified, all-the-teeth-you-need 10-year contract” instead, giving haulers and their employees the stability a short extension wouldn’t provide.

Mid Valley Disposal CEO Joseph Kalpakoff told the board that family haulers gave up their right to compete countywide 20 years ago when exclusive service areas were first established in 2005, then made serious investments in recycling facilities. “We chose to do that at that time,” Kalpakoff said. “My ask today for you, supervisors, is to remember that we kept you compliant, the family haulers invested in your county, and give us an extension and let us continue to invest to pick up trash.”

Six of the seven haulers signed a joint letter arguing they could meet county goals “without enduring an arduous and time-consuming process that would have selected just one winner, put others out of business and significantly reduced the competitive environment for waste and recycling services in the region.”

Supervisor Chavez also requested adding cleanup services — paid for only by affected residents — in unincorporated urban areas like Calwa and Mayfair in his district.

The Breakdown

• Fresno County’s trash collection in unincorporated areas operates through exclusive service area agreements, where seven haulers each control specific zones rather than competing countywide.
• County staff say the current contracts have vague language that makes enforcement nearly impossible.
• Staff initially wanted to consolidate to one hauler, then proposed a two-year extension to work with incoming supervisors.
• The board instead ordered a complete contract rewrite within 60 days, extending agreements to 10 years rather than two.
• The current contracts expire February 2028; the board wants new terms finalized before three supervisors leave office at year’s end.

What This Means for You

The supervisors you elected are choosing whether trash collection in unincorporated Fresno County stays divided among seven companies or gets consolidated — and whether the contracts governing that service actually give the county power to hold haulers accountable. A 10-year contract locks in whichever system the board approves for the next decade, including who collects your trash. If you live in Calwa, Mayfair, or another unincorporated area, the rewritten contract could also add cleanup services you’d pay for separately. The board’s decision to reject staff’s recommendation and demand a faster, longer-term solution means this choice gets made by the current board before three members leave office, rather than by whoever replaces them.

What You Can Do

The board directed staff to return with a proposed contract in 60 days. You can contact the Fresno County Board of Supervisors to weigh in on what the new contract should require of trash haulers.

What to Watch

The board is asking staff to write a 10-year contract in two months that fixes problems the county has struggled with for nearly 20 years. That’s a tight timeline for a contract staff said needs serious work. Watch whether the draft that comes back actually gives the county enforceable standards, or whether the pressure to finish quickly leaves the same vague language Shelton said doesn’t work.

The board rejected consolidating to one hauler and directed staff to modify the existing exclusive service area system. Family haulers told the board they made serious investments in materials recovery facilities and recycling centers after giving up their right to compete countywide 20 years ago.

Chavez’s request for paid cleanup services in unincorporated urban areas like Calwa and Mayfair raises its own question: why do those neighborhoods need extra cleanup paid for separately while other areas don’t? Is that addressing a real service gap, or is it asking lower-income residents to pay more for a baseline level of cleanliness the county should already be providing everywhere?