Mayor Carter issues emergency declaration to avoid trash hauling stoppage

ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter issued an emergency declaration on trash collection on Monday, as the city works to reach an agreement on trash hauling.

Trash deadline

What we know:

On Monday, Mayor Carter declared a State of Emergency to make sure trash collection continues in the city, ahead of an April 1 deadline. The declaration suspends zoning regulations at a location owned by FCC Environmental Services along Randolph Avenue near the Mississippi River.

Mayor Carter says the order will "ensure uninterrupted citywide trash services as FCC Environmental Services prepares to assume hauling for the majority of Saint Paul residential households this week."

By law, the declaration can only last three days. So, to keep the declaration in effect past Thursday, the city council will need to vote to extend it at its Wednesday meeting.

What they're saying:

A news release from the city states the declaration will allow trash collection to continue while "maintaining momentum toward full implementation of its updated collection system."

"Trash service is a critical public service that impacts the basic health and wellness of every resident," said Mayor Carter. "Working together to prevent a service disruption is every city leader's most urgent job this week."

Trash collection trouble in St. Paul

The backstory:

FCC Environmental Services was awarded a seven-year contract to cover city-wide trash collection in St. Paul in 2024. City officials had a plan to use land at 560 Randolph Street to store and store their garbage trucks, but the city council voted unanimously against at a March 19 meeting.

The vote followed a challenge by a neighborhood group that worried about the impact of the truck yard on the community. FCC purchased the property last summer and, initially, city officials believed the property conformed with zoning regulations for the area. However, the city council later approved an appeal from the neighborhood groups, stalling the process.

Carter told city council members in a letter that the vote blocking the use of the land creates the possibility of a breach of contract with the garbage hauler.

What's next:

The city says FCC is committed to its plan for the headquarters and submitted "supplemental documentation to the city to address community feedback."

After the council votes on the declaration on Wednesday, the matter is set to go to the zoning committee on April 10. It's unclear if Mayor Carter has the votes to keep the declaration in effect or exactly what would happen if the city votes against extending the declaration.