Fort Wayne City Council

According to a release from city officials Tuesday, garbage collection is continuing to lag behind as the embattled Red River Waste Solutions struggle to maintain staffing levels amid rising garbage load sizes.

GFL will begin collection service on July 1, once the contract with Red River expires.

The mayor’s office has broken down spending plans across four areas of focus.

The agreement will effectively release Fort Wayne from its contract with Red River and allow for a new agency to take over.

Fort Wayne City Council will hold a special meeting at 5:30 Tuesday evening to discuss the future of its partnership with Red River Waste Solutions.

Council approved the bonuses out of the city’s General Fund on a 7-1 vote.

City attorneys have gone on record to say that a new hauler could be chosen and ready to begin serving the area in the summer.

The Public Art Program was established in 2018 as a way to make the city more attractive to residents and tourists. The board is overseen by a commission, and in the last four years $1.5 million worth of installations have been approved, including the Faces of the Fort series that celebrates the city's diversity.

In a statement late Tuesday afternoon, the city says it is "doing our best to maintain operational levels for solid waste and recycling collection," while citing Red River's ongoing bankruptcy and national labor shortages as additional, compounding problems.

In a statement Tuesday, the mayor's office projects the decision to remodel existing buildings instead of building from the ground up will save $34.7 million.