HomeMy WebLinkAbout03-06-2001sp SPECIAL CITY COUNCIL MEETING
March 6, 2001 4:00 PM
COUNCIL WORK AREA
SOLID WASTE
MINUTES
I. Call to Order
Mayor Charles A. Booth called the special meeting of the Auburn City
Council to order at 4:05 PM. Councilmembers Rich Wagner, Trish
Borden, Fred Poe, Sue Singer, Pete Lewis, and Stacey Brothers were
present. Councilmember Jeanne Barber arrived at 4:10 PM.
Staff members present included: Public Works Director Christine Engler,
Solid Waste Supervisor Sharon Conroy, Assistant Finance Director
Shelley Coleman, and City Clerk Danielle Daskam. Guests present
included: Jeff Brown of Sound Resource Management and Jerry
Hardebeck and Laura Moser of Washington Waste Management.
II. Introduction
Mayor Booth explained the purpose of the meeting is to discuss solid
waste services and options for the City of Auburn. Earlier this year, the
City engaged the firm of Sound Resource Management Group to review
the City's solid waste contract and develop bid proposal and contract
specifications for a new solid waste contract. The City's current contract
will expire December 31, 2001.
III. Discussion of Solid Waste Options and Issues
Solid Waste Supervisor Sharon Conroy introduced Mr. Jeff Brown of
Sound Resource Management Group. Mr. Brown explained that the City
hired Sound Resource Management Group to develop a solid waste
procurement process and undertake a solid waste rate review. The rate
review was completed and presented to the Municipal Services
Committee earlier. Mr. Brown discussed his work with the Municipal
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March 6, 2001
Page 2
Services Committee to develop a solid waste procurement service
package, which includes all the different elements of the service contract.
Mr. Brown presented a table of the service package elements and the
initial decisions made to date by the Municipal Services Committee with
regard to each element.
The procurement service package provides that residential garbage
collection container sizes and frequency of collection will remain the same.
Residential yard debris service will continue to be subscription based (only
users will pay). Collection will remain weekly during the months of March
through November and every-other week during the months of December
through February.
A residential curbside recycling program will be implemented utilizing a
commingled wheeled cart system. The curbside recycling service cost will
be embedded in the solid waste fees. Types of recyclables collected in
the wheeled cart system include: cardboard, mixed waste paper,
newspaper, glass, aluminum and tins cans, rigid plastic containers, and
plastic bottles. The base bid will include prices for every-other-week
collection and an option for every week collection. The bid documents
specify that the contractor provides the containers, the cost of which is
included in the rate; and the City will own the containers at the end of the
contract. The contractor also retains the revenues or costs from the sale
of recyclables.
The solid waste service contract will retain the City's annual flee "Spring
Clean-up" and also includes user-pay bulky waste collection during the
rest of the year. The contract will also provide for a range of front-load
dumpsters and drop-boxes for temporary use by residents and
businesses.
Commercial solid waste container sizes and frequency of collection will
remain the same. Mr. Brown discussed the nuances of a commercial
recycling program since deregulation of the industry. The majority of the
Council members favored embedding the cost of commercial recycling in
the commercial rates. Councilmember Poe spoke in favor of keeping
commercial recycling on a subscription basis. He questioned the
percentage of commercial customers utilizing a recycling program.
Assistant Finance Director Coleman estimated there are 1,700
commercial accounts and approximately 400 of those accounts utilize a
recycling program.
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March 6, 2001
Page 3
(Councilmember Lewis was called away from the Council meeting at this
time (4:40 PM) due to an emergency.)
Mr. Jerry Hardebeck of Washington Waste Hauling and Recycling
reported that the cities of Redmond and Bothell, where commercial
recycling costs are embedded in the rates, experienced 25% and 23%
diversion rates last year. In the City of Renton, where commercial
recycling is similar to Auburn's current operation, the diversion rate was
12.6%. He concluded that cities embed commercial recycling rates to
ensure consistent service and maximize the diversion rate.
Mr. Brown continued discussion of other service package elements. Solid
waste collection would continue to be a mandatory service . Contract
price modification will be set at 70% of a CPI to be determined at the next
contract draft. The contract length will be set at seven years, with two 2-
year renewal options that can only be exercised by the City.
Billing for solid waste service would continue to be a function of the City.
In response to a questions from Councilmembers Brothers and Singer, Mr.
Brown explained that route management systems used by most
contractors include a billing system, and therefore most contractors have
the capability to bill customers. Customer billing by the contractor is a
more common practice than utilizing a third party billing agency. Mr.
Brown indicated that because the City of Auburn has mandatory collection
and an existing system that can adequately perform the billing, he
recommends the billing responsibility remain with the City. He also
indicated that because of issues related to bad debt collection and
mandatory collection, City billing is preferred.
Councilmember Wagner recalled discussion during the last Municipal
Services Committee meeting regarding administrative procedures, such
as points of contact for service subscription, delinquent accounts, and
service complaints. Public Works Director Engler agreed to work with
Solid Waste Supervisor Conroy and the consultant to ensure the
appropriate administrative details are included in the draft contract,
Mr. Brown spoke regarding rate design. He indicated the issue is not a
procurement issue any longer since the City is retaining the billing
responsibility. The amount the City pays the contractor for a particular
level of service doesn't necessarily have a direct connection to the fees
Special City Council Meeting Minutes
March 6, 2001
Page 4
charged. The City can adjust the rates to provide incentives, particular
rate structures, or senior center discounts.
Mr. Brown indicated that the bidding documents will include a prevailing
wage clause. He also reported that the Municipal Services Committee
recommended that if Waste Management is not the successful bidder, the
contract documents include the provision that Waste Managemenrs
current employees would be offered the possibility for positions with the
successful bidder.
Mr. Brown indicated that the supplemental solid waste contracts for
Boeing and GSA would be incorporated in the main contract. There will
be specific provisions to address Boeing's and GSA's specialized needs.
Mr. Brown reported the draft contract and bidding documents will be ready
for legal review in approximately a week. He anticipates the City will be
ready to advertise for bids by April and execute a new contract by July.
IV. Adjournment
There being no further discussion, the meeting adjourned at 5:12 PM.
Approved the C2~--~ day of April, 2001.
2001 aO3~O6special.doc