Press Release
City of Portage authorizes Waste Management to place a lien
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
City of Portage authorizes waste collector to place a lien on residents property.
Lies about it at public meeting.
PORTAGE, MI. 10-7-2025 Portage resident and City Council candidate Jay Woodhams, during the public comment period of the City of Portage Council Meeting, made a request to the Council.
Woodhams, after reviewing the contract that the City of Portage recently authorized with Waste Management, requested that the Council provide public clarification to the residents of Portage regarding the contract.
Woodhams, noted that the contract was not aligned with the scope of work outlined in the City’s RFP (request for proposal). Woodhams questioned, whether or not the bid submitted by Waste Management was a response to the RFP, or an alternative bid to the RFP because of the numerous discrepancies between the two.
Further, Woodhams expressed concern and asked for clarification to the provisions of the contract that authorizes Waste Management to place a lien on a resident’s property. According to the contract, if a resident becomes 60 days past due, including late payment fees, delivery fees and returned payment fees, and even if the delinquency is the result of billing errors by Waste Management themselves, they have the right to place a lien on that resident's property.
Woodhams requested the City to provide a public explanation regarding the legal basis that grants the City the authority to allow a corporation to place a lien against a private citizens property, if one even exists, and to publish that explanation along with the opt-out process that is allegedly available to residents.
As the City Council meeting was coming to a close, Portage City Manager Pat McGinnis addressed the issues raised by Woodhams in the public comments portion of the meeting. McGinnis claimed that the contract had no such provision that authorized Waste Management to place a lien on property, characterized it as “Misinformation” and further claiming that the word “lien does not even appear in the contract.”
Upon request by Woodhams, the City Manager emailed a copy of the signed and executed contract to Woodhams and in fact, the contract (section 5(a)) does contain language authorizing Waste Management to place a lien on a resident’s property.
The adoption of this waste ordinance by the City of Portage has been unpopular and controversial. This interaction raises even more questions. Did the City Council even review the contract prior to authorizing it? Or did they knowingly put every resident’s property at risk? Either way, for the City who claims how transparent they are being, they have a lot of explaining to do.
ABOUT
Jay Woodhams
269-350-6527
CITATION
Contract Attached
City Council Meeting 10-7-2025
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