Ok here is your chance to get it off your Chest!  Read the comments below !

Everyone is complaining about those wonderful trash bins the City has seen fit to impose on everyone!  Tell us what you think!  Click here: TRASH BIN SURVEY

As Sargent Joe Friday would say, JUST THE FACTS Ma'am, So Here are the FACTS;

On June 9, 1998 the City Council determined, in granting this Agreement, that the public health, safety and well-being make it necessary that this agreement be awarded to the Contractor on an exclusive basis without competitive bidding in order to provide waste handling services to its citizens in the manner determined by the City Council to best protect the public health and safety and achieve necessary levels of recycling and landfill diversion; 

             a) This is a $7,000,000.00 a year contract!   

             b) With two automatic Contract extensions this contract could run through the year 2012. 

            c) That is a possible $145,000,000.00 (and without competitive bidding).

The City contract does not allow the service providers to delineate the charges on your bill.  Page 18 of the contract Paragraph 6.1 C. "Billings shall not identify City fees as  separate items on statements." WHY?

The new Trash Collection/Recycling program has reduced the service by one third (1/3) for the same or higher monthly cost to the residents.

RESULTS OF THE MEETING on MARCH 3RD

2/21/99   I have yet to receive the new JUMBO trash bins, and I'm not sure that I want them. Everyone that I talk to has nothing good to say about the program, and they hate the trash bins.

Bert Goodrich    20-Year Resident

2/21/99   We like the new system. The bins are easy to move and are stable. So far we have had plenty of room even after cleaning a whole section of ground cover from the side yard. I also like the idea of it being easier on the pickup people.  The biweekly schedule seems easy to follow.

Bob & Mary Giese

2/21/99   I have mixed feelings. On the one hand, it's good to be rid of the loose plastic bags that some residents put out which allowed animals to scatter garbage all of the neighborhood. Another advantage is the cost savings in not buying plastic bags.

Minuses are:
1. The massive size of the new bins, making storage difficult for households with little outdoor storage space..
2. The size and weight of the bins, when filled, will make maneuvering them difficult for older, smaller people.
3. Come summer, when yard waste volumes increase, one pickup every two weeks may not be sufficient and will certainly result in smelly, rotted waste.
4. It looks like the City representatives got rolled in their dealing with the trash haulers. The residents should have shared any cost savings through lower rates under this more efficient program.

John Relle

2/21/99   Our new trash service has accomplished one thing, completely discouraging residents to recycle. The trash bin is picked once a week, the recycle bin is picked up once every two weeks, therefore, when the recycle bin is full then the rest of the recycling goes in the regular garbage can. Unless, you want to pay for more recycle bins. Now, you not only get less service for the same money, you get less service for more money.

When I called Block Disposal with my complaints, I was referred directly to the city office. They were washing their hands of the problem. Of course they were, they are the big winners here.

One small suggestion would be to pick up all the bins (garbage, recycle, lawn waste) every week. At least then we would be getting almost the same service for the same money.

M. Venetis

1/31/99

Dear Mayor Parks:

The new garbage contract is a bunch of garbage. Pun intended. We used to get 5 - 32 gallon trash cans per week, a total of 160 gallons, plus unlimited recycling. Now we get a 64 gallon garbage can and half of a 96 gallon yard waste can for an effective total of 112 gallons per week, along with unlimited recycling.

It amazes me that the City could negotiate such a good contract, giving us 30% less service at no increase in cost! (or is this really a 30% cost increase?).

48 gallons of garden waste is totally inadequate in the winter. It will be substantially worse in spring and summer and a second green monster can on my patio is not acceptable either.

My old cans would stack, taking up very little room until we filled them, mostly with yard trimmings, on the weekend. The new ones are BIG and BULKY. They can not be stacked. I can not store them on the side of my garage and walk around them as I used to, consequently, they are now on my patio.

The statement that any increase in service would likely bring an increase in costs is infuriating to me. What is wrong with giving us the same service we used to get for the same cost? Anything less than weekly pick up of the green can at no cost increase is unconscionable.

Better yet, scrap the new garbage program and go back to the old one.

p.s. I wish the council would rid the city of the staff worker(s) who negotiated such a good deal for us before they negotiate any more contracts.

Sincerely,

P D Mueller