Update: Included details received after initial publication that the County will not be holding any vote or actual action tomorrow (April 15th) following its meeting with Republic Services, which was originally planned. The City is still prepared to take action as early as this evening (April 14th).
Prineville, Ore. — Republic Services is once again seeking approval for garbage rate increases from local governments in Crook County, with a request to the county reportedly coming in at roughly twice the level proposed within the City of Prineville.
The latest proposals come as residents continue to grapple with steadily rising solid waste costs — an issue that has drawn increasing scrutiny in recent years following multiple rounds of rate hikes.
A public hearing on the city’s proposal is scheduled for Tuesday evening during the Prineville City Council’s 6 p.m. meeting at City Hall. The meeting will also be available for online viewing. Another hearing for the County is scheduled for tomorrow during a Board of Commissioners regular meeting at 9 a.n. at the County’s Annex building in downtown Prineville.
The current requests are not occurring in a vacuum.
As previously reported by Prineville Review, Republic has sought — and received — multiple increases in recent years. In 2024, the company initially proposed a 14% rate increase for city customers. That request was later reduced to 10% following committee review and ultimately approved by the City Council after public debate.
Less than a year later, in 2025, Republic returned with another proposed 10% increase, which would have pushed total rate hikes to more than 20% in under a year for city residents if fully implemented.
That pattern of repeated increases has fueled ongoing concerns among residents about affordability and the long-term trajectory of rates.
Beyond the cost itself, the City’s handling of last year’s rate increase request also drew significant criticism and raised transparency concerns.
The initial public hearing in May 2025 was noticed with only a single business day’s advance notice over a holiday weekend, and the City did not disclose the amount of the proposed increase in its public notice or agenda. The 10% figure only became public shortly before the meeting after inquiries by Prineville Review.
The situation escalated when the City Council abruptly postponed the hearing at the start of the meeting — despite Republic Services representatives being present and prepared to present.
Additional concerns followed, including the late release of supporting documents and the absence of key materials — such as an undated letter from the company — from the public agenda packet. Critics argued the process limited meaningful public participation and may have conflicted with Oregon’s public meetings law requirements for adequate notice.
The hearing was later rescheduled after those concerns were raised. Republic was later granted a 5% increase by the City, and a 2.5% increase by the County in 2025.
Now, as Republic again seeks rate increases, the scope of the requests — particularly at the county level — is drawing renewed attention.
While the city is considering a more limited increase of 3.5%, the county request is reportedly significantly higher, raising questions about how rates are being structured across service areas and whether residents in different parts of Crook County are being impacted unevenly.
The City also provided a separate notice of the proposed 3.5% increase amount in an April 7th notice that was provided to the Prineville Review. The requested increase amount was omitted from the City’s public meeting notice for its April 14th meeting, which includes the public hearing.
Republic officials recently presented their request during a Crook County Commissioner work session, outlining their rationale for the increases, including operational costs and service considerations.
For many residents, the issue is no longer just about a single increase — but the cumulative effect.
Julie Thompson, a candidate for county commissioner, highlighted that impact in a recent public statement:
“Over the past three years, garbage service rates in our community have increased. In 2022 my garbage bill was $41.95; in 2025 it was $55.68 per month — that is a 32% increase. That’s not just a number — that’s real money coming out of the pockets of hardworking families, seniors on fixed incomes, and small businesses trying to stay afloat.”
Thompson also pointed to Republic’s recent presentation to county officials and questioned the sustainability of continued increases.
“How is our community supposed to afford a 10% increase every year when our incomes aren’t rising anywhere close to that?” she said. “We need leadership that recognizes this imbalance.”
Tonight’s City Council meeting will provide residents with an opportunity to weigh in on the latest proposal before any decision is made. The meeting will take place at 6:00 p.m. and is also available for remote attendance and testimony.
The Crook County Board of Commissioners received a presentation on Republic’s requested rate increase during its work session last week. According to its agenda for tomorrow’s regular session meeting of the Board of Commissioners set for 9:00 a.m, an agenda item states “Republic Services Rate Increase Request”, with listed presenters including Republic’s local general, finance, and municipal sales managers.
In speaking with Crook County Manager Will Van Vactor, it appears the actual requested increase is at 6.5%. It was not immediately clear if the Republic had indeed been asking for 10% increase for County residents before settling on 6.5%, as cited by Thompson, or if the request had been misunderstood.
After several citizen concerns shared over the weekend with this publication, we asked Van Vactor if this intended discussion item was resulting in any vote or action by the Board of Commissioners, as (unlike the City’s notice) there was no clarity that it was a public hearing within the meeting which is required under Oregon law for the public body to approve a rate increase. The agenda appeared to indicate there was only a discussion currently planned.
Van Vactor indicated he understood the concern related to the notice and process. Shortly following the initial publication, Van Vactor stated that tomorrow’s second presentation from Republic Services will not result in any action by the commissioners, further confirming that a clearly noticed public hearing will be provided for a future date. He also confirmed the County wants to ensure the commissioners can hear any citizen testimony before making a decision as required by Oregon law.
With past increases, ongoing service concerns, and prior transparency issues still fresh for many in the community, the outcome of the city’s decision — along with any forthcoming action by the county — is expected to draw close attention from ratepayers across Crook County.
What is clear is that the Republic’s requests —although differing between the City and County — have reduced significantly from its attempts to seek double-digit rate increases.
Attempts to seek comment from Republic services were unsuccessful prior to press time. The company’s customer service center, which was reached when calling the company’s local office number again today, said that local staff at its Prineville office were not available.
In 2025, Republic ignored numerous requests for comment from this publication, including after being asked to submit inquries by email. Its last response was in response to our 2024 inquries.
Local leaders have repeatedly pushed for Republic to maintain a local office and contact number to assist local patrons since the acquisition of Prineville Disposal in early 2020, but questions have repeatedly been raised by citizens and even local leaders about the adequacy of that service.
Mr. Alderman is an investigative journalist specializing in government transparency, non-profit accountability, consumer protection, and is a subject matter expert on Oregon’s public records and meetings laws. As a former U.S. Army Military Police Officer, he brings a disciplined investigative approach to his reporting that has frequently exposed ethics violations, financial mismanagement, and transparency failures by public officials and agencies.
