FULSHEAR, Texas (Covering Katy News) — The Fulshear City Council voted July 21 to approve a residential trash rate increase that takes effect Oct. 1 while also beginning a broader discussion about what residents want to see in the city's next solid waste contract.
Fulshear residents will pay 82 cents more each month for residential trash service beginning Oct. 1, but city leaders say the more significant discussion is what services the city should include in its next long-term solid waste contract.
The Fulshear City Council approved a 4.85% consumer price index adjustment on Tuesday night, increasing the monthly residential solid waste rate from $16.90 to $17.72. The increase will appear on November utility bills.
The rate adjustment comes as the city prepares to seek competitive bids for a new residential solid waste contract before the current agreement expires in March 2027.
Looking beyond the annual increase
While the council approved the annual inflation adjustment July 21, much of the groundwork for the city's next contract was laid during a July 7 workshop.
During that meeting, Public Works Director and City Engineer Cliff Brouhard asked council members to begin identifying what level of service they want included in the next request for proposals before waste collection companies are invited to submit bids.
Brouhard cautioned that every additional service comes with a cost.
"We can ask for the moon, but you're gonna pay for the moon, right?" Brouhard said during the July 7 workshop.
Staff also shared preliminary results from a resident survey seeking feedback on trash collection, recycling, bulk pickup and other services that could be included in the next contract. More than 260 residents had responded by the time of the workshop, although several council members questioned whether the sample was large enough to represent the city's approximately 10,000 residential customers.
Council weighs future service options
The workshop focused less on the annual rate increase than on what level of service residents expect after the current contract expires.
During the July 7 workshop, Council member Randy Connor said he recently followed one of the city's trash trucks through several neighborhoods to better understand why collection crews sometimes must return after their initial pass.
"One of the things I noticed, most everybody does it right. They put one can on one side of the driveway and one can on the other. Here's where it gets tricky. They put the two cans either right next to each other. There's cars parked where they can't get to trash cans. There's Amazon boxes piled all over the top of 'em that are not broken down," Connor said.
Connor said he asked the driver what happened when crews could not reach the cans and was told another truck had to return later, increasing operating costs.
Council members also discussed whether future contracts should include additional cans for larger households, changes to bulk pickup, different collection schedules and other service enhancements, recognizing that each option could affect future rates.
More analysis before bids are sought
The July 7 workshop concluded without any decisions on future service levels.
Instead, council directed staff to continue gathering public input, evaluate the cost of various service options and prepare a request for proposals that reflects the council's priorities before the current contract expires.
Those decisions will determine what residential trash service looks like in Fulshear after March 2027.
Why it matters
The 82-cent monthly increase approved July 21 is an inflation adjustment required under the city's existing contract. The more significant decisions will come over the coming months as city leaders determine what services residents want — and how much they are willing to pay for — in Fulshear's next residential solid waste contract.
We report the news. We explain why it matters.
Most stories would end by telling you Fulshear's trash service rates are increasing. We didn't stop there. We looked beyond the rate increase to explain how city leaders are shaping the next long-term trash contract and what those decisions could mean for residents in the years ahead.
That's what Covering Katy is all about. We report the news and we explain why it matters.
If you value journalism that goes beyond the headlines to provide context, analysis and insight into the decisions shaping Katy, Fulshear and western Fort Bend County, please consider becoming a subscriber. Your support helps make this reporting possible. Please subscribe here.