City Council Meeting Date: January 15, 2019
To: Mayor and City Council
City Administrator
From: Justin Wagner, Utilities Manager
David Bennett, P.E., Public Works Director/City Engineer
Title
Discussion on terms of Dick’s Sanitation, Inc. Waste Hauling Contract Extension.
Body
Action Requested:
The Northfield City Council considers a Discussion on terms of Dick’s Sanitation, Inc. Waste Hauling Contract Extension.
Summary Report:
On October 2, 2018, the City Council made a motion authorizing City staff to prepare a refuse contract extension with Dick’s Sanitation, Inc. (DSI). The current contract with DSI began in 2013 and expires March 31, 2019. Collection is for single family and multi-family/apartments up to 6 units.
The current contract allows for collection of the following:
• Garbage & Refuse (Weekly Collection 35 Gal, 65 Gal, 96 Gal Carts)
• Recyclable (Bi-Weekly Collection 64 Gal Cart)
• Organic Food/Wet Waste trial (could be implemented)
• Yard Waste & Brush Collection (April 1 - May 15 Spring & Oct 1 - Nov 15 Fall)
• Christmas Tree Collection
• White Goods and Electronics Collection
• Spring Clean-up Days - Two Saturdays
DSI currently provides the following contract programs:
• Enviro Education Center (website with waste disposal information)
• Schedule Reminder Center (Automated dialer reminds residents of holiday schedule)
• Reduction Tactics Initiative
• Paperless routing
• Alternative fleet fuels
• Paperless invoicing
• Enviro-fact reporting
• Treewards Program
• Hauler Scholars Program
• DSIcycleback Program - share portion of residential recycling reimbursement from Rice County
• DSI recycling roll-off - proceeds to local youth organizations
The table below details the existing service contract fees by year.
On July 12, 2018 EQC members made a motion to have the City Council of Northfield direct staff to enter into contract negotiations with DSI for an extension of the refuse contract. Staff is to look at the current contract with modification to the following items:
o Work with the City of Northfield to develop an outreach program.
o Provide additional annual data regarding Northfield’s waste stream.
o Keep the current language related to curbside composting in the contract.
Staff would like to discuss the following areas of the contract:
- Currently, White Goods prices are charged to residents on the two Saturdays during the spring cleanup. Staff would like direction to consider matching Rice County landfill rates.
- Changes related to the brush collection costs are being proposed. Additionally, the option for curbside yard waste collection is being offered in the contract so long as the city has a minimum of 200 city residents that would like the carted service. The service would be provided spring through fall. This would be an alternative to the big sweep.
- DSI has indicated that their fleet is not currently equipped for weighing carts.
o In addition, they have indicated that the scales do not tend to stay accurate since they are moving and can lose their accuracy.
- Organic Food/Wet Waste is being proposed to continue to be offered. This price would be negotiated if the City requested implementation at the time of implementation.
- Length of Contract - the current contract was for 6 years.
- Recycling Carts Sizes - Recycling carts are 64 gallon for Rice and Dakota County residents in Northfield. Carts are provided by Rice County for residents Northfield Rice County Residents and by DSI for Northfield Dakota County Residents. DSI has indicated that they are able to provide 96 gallon recycling carts for homes if needed whether Rice or Dakota County.
Staff is looking to bring back the contract for Council’s consideration on February 19, 2019.
Alternative Options:
If the City Council does not authorize staff to prepare a refuse contract extension with DSI, staff will have to seek proposals from multiple contractors for hauling its refuse; however, staff does not recommend this as the EQC discussed this option and favors the service that DSI provides and would like them to continue providing that service.
Financial Impacts:
The current contract is set to expire on March 31, 2019. Staff is currently negotiating to determine potential changes to the contract.