Dive Brief:

• The office of Flint Mayor Karen Weaver sent a letter to Republic Services on Sept. 22 terminating their 90-day contract extension, as reported by M Live. Republic released a statement later that day saying that the decision "came without any explanation" and is not allowable unless ordered by Genesee County Circuit Court Judge Joseph Farah. 
• In a statement on Sept. 23, Weaver's office said it plans to move forward with the temporary appointment of its preferred hauler Rizzo Environmental Services effective today.
• A majority of Flint City Council members have opposed this decision and question whether it is possible since the city still has a contract with Republic. Councilman Scott Kincaid filed an injunction on Sept. 23 seeking to block Weaver from hiring Rizzo.

Dive Insight:

This is the latest turn in a highly contentious debate between Mayor Weaver and the Flint City Council over which company should win a five-year collection contract with the city. While Rizzo's bid was about $2 million lower than Republic's, the council voted against giving them the contract due to multiple factors earlier this summer. The two sides have been in and out of court over which company is the "lowest responsible bidder" and Weaver briefly suspended collections in August.

Since then, current hauler Republic has continued service on a temporary basis as it seeks to win the new contract. In another unexpected turn, the company filed a complaint against the city for its alleged failure to comply with a Freedom of Information Act request. In August, Weaver's office appealed Judge Farah's decision to keep using Republic while negotiations continued.

While the council members held a press conference on Friday announcing their plans to block the decision, it is still not clear which company is collecting Flint's waste today. Republic Services has said more information will be available later in the day. Mayor Weaver's office and Rizzo Environmental Services could not be reached for comment.

Waste Dive will continue to update this story as it develops.