Update on Waste Collection and Rock Creek Fence Maintenance
The Rock Creek HOA recently sent an email encouraging residents to contact the Town Council about waste collection and fence maintenance. The Town has received numerous questions from residents. To make the Town’s position clear, we are providing the following update.
Waste Collection
The Town provides waste collection service to approximately 1,200 homes in Original Town, Sagamore, The Ridge, Coal Creek Crossing, Downtown Superior, Calmante, Lanterns, Autrey Shores, and Rogers Farm. When the Town’s prior waste collection contract was set to expire at the end of 2024, the Town spent much of the year gathering resident feedback, engaging with the Advisory Committee for Environmental Sustainability, and conducting a competitive bid process consistent with the Town's purchasing policy.
The goal was not simply to hire a trash hauler. The Town sought reliable trash, recycling, and compost service that also advanced community goals around sustainability, waste reduction, service accountability, and transparency. Republic Services won that bid, and the Town began service with Republic in 2025 for the neighborhoods covered by the expiring contract. Rock Creek, The Summit, and Saddlebrooke are not currently part of the Town's contract because those neighborhoods contract separately through their homeowners associations.
The Town’s contract with Republic includes:
-
Pricing that rewards lower waste. Residents can choose different trash cart sizes, with lower prices for smaller carts. This gives households a direct way to reduce their bill by reducing landfill waste.
-
Curbside compost included. Compost collection is included as part of the standard Town service, not offered only as an optional add-on. Composting food and yard waste helps reduce methane emissions from landfills.
-
All-electric collection trucks. Transportation accounts for nearly 40 percent of Superior's greenhouse gas emissions. Electric collection trucks reduce emissions and air pollutants in the neighborhoods they serve.
-
Verified service and reporting. The Town receives detailed monthly reporting from Republic Services, including weight tickets and customer service metrics. This allows staff to verify data, track performance, and address service issues in real time.
These features align with goals adopted in the Town’s Sustainability Action Plan. Climate and sustainability ranked among residents’ top priorities in the most recent community survey, and the Town publishes progress against the Plan’s goals on its Sustainability Dashboard.
Rock Creek’s trash service is currently managed by the Rock Creek HOA through a contract with Waste Connections. Under that contract, residents receive a 95-gallon trash cart, with no lower-cost option for a smaller cart. Composting is not included in the base service and is available only as an optional fee.
The Town has notified the Rock Creek HOA of its interest in providing trash service townwide after the HOA’s current contract expires in 2028. This would allow the Town to evaluate whether a single, community-wide service model could better align pricing, service levels, and sustainability goals across Superior.
At the March 9 meeting between the Town Council and the Rock Creek HOA Board, the HOA stated that it had received updated information from Waste Connections that it believed made its service comparable to the Town’s current contract with Republic. The HOA also expressed its desire to keep trash service under HOA control. The Town asked the HOA to provide that information so staff and Council could review the actual pricing, service levels, contract terms, and requirements. The Town remains willing to consider any complete written proposal from the HOA, but to date has not received one.
No final decision has been made. The Town has not entered into any contract to provide trash service for Rock Creek, The Summit, or Saddlebrooke, and any decision is not expected until 2027. The Town’s goal remains to ensure that waste collection is cost-effective, transparent, equitable, and consistent with Superior’s sustainability goals.
Fences
The Landscape Maintenance Fee was established in 2003 after the dissolution of the Rock Creek Metropolitan Districts. It is a monthly fee, not a tax, assessed on residential properties to fund maintenance of public improvements that were transferred to the Town. These services include maintenance of parks, playgrounds, open space areas, irrigation systems, landscaping, concrete paths, and snow removal on those paths. The Landscape Fee was also used to fund painting and maintenance of fences adjacent to open space areas in Rock Creek.
Over the past 20 years, the cost of labor, materials, and contracted services has increased significantly, while the fee has not kept pace. As a result, the fee no longer generates enough revenue to cover the services it was intended to support. Since 2021, the Town has had to supplement the program with General Fund dollars, which are paid by all Superior taxpayers.
In 2024, the Town discontinued painting and maintaining Rock Creek fences. Unlike the public improvements supported by the Landscape Maintenance Fee, these fences are private property. Many are now approximately 30 years old, nearing the end of their useful lives, and the Town is not responsible for replacing fences.
During budget discussions this fall, the Town Council will review the Landscape Maintenance Fee, including whether fence painting should resume. Any such program would need a dedicated funding source paid by those receiving the benefit and would require an increase to the fee for Rock Creek residents. Council’s goal is to make a transparent, financially responsible, and fair decision for the broader community.
For more information, you can find our most recent meeting with the Rock Creek HOA.
Stay Engaged
Both topics continue to be discussed in public Town Council meetings. Residents can learn more about how to attend in person, watch recorded sessions, or share comments at SuperiorColorado.gov/TownCouncil.
|
