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Single rubbish hauler raises howls in Russell
(by Joan Demirjian - July 28, 2010)
Single rubbish hauler raises howls in Russell
By JOAN DEMIRJIAN
Russell Trustees approved a bid last week from Waste Management Inc. to handle rubbish hauling for all residents in the township.
In the 2-1 vote July 21, Trustees James Mueller and James Dickinson accepted Waste Management's bid. Trustee Kristina Port, who has opposed a single hauler for the township, dissented. She said, "Absolutely not."
Mr. Mueller is to look at the contract and working out the details. The service could be in place in two to five months. Waste Management and trustees are to communicate to residents, explaining the plans.
As it stands now, residents should save 25 percent to 40 percent on trash hauling, Mr. Mueller said. "No one likes change, yet I think people will be very pleased in the long run."
With a single trash hauler, there will be 50 percent fewer of the heavy garbage trucks on township roads, he said.
Residents, who now pay $80 to $90 a quarter for trash pickup, will pay less than $48, Mr. Mueller said.
He reviewed all proposals, and some were better than others in some way, he said. "We tried to look at what residents need, and we got a lot of feedback," he said. "It comes down to what fits the needs of residents."
Mr. Mueller said Waste Management, one of five companies to submit bids, stayed closest to the bid specifications.
The highest bid was $22.22 per month.
Waste Management's price is $15.97 per month and includes a 64-gallon container for curb-side recycling and a 96-gallon container for trash. Curb-side recycling will be available twice a month to everyone. There will be a $5 service fee per month for bag service.
One of the goals is to save on the wear and tear of the roads by reducing heavy truck traffic and to promote recycling. Four waste haulers currently serve residents.
With Waste Management, trucks will be on the roads four times a month for trash and twice a month for recycling. Currently, without recycling, the trucks with three different haulers are on the road 12 times a month.
For safety reasons, the bid requires that two people are on the truck at all times, and trucks will not start until after the morning school-bus pickups are made at 8:30 a.m.
Ms. Port said she believes in free enterprise. "Residents are wise enough to choose their own trash hauler," she said.
"We're not getting a RITA tax to pay for services to the residents," she said of municipal income tax collections. "I think it's better for people to make their own choice." And people use the existing recycling center, she said. "We are already doing a great deal of recycling, and we don't need to duplicate it with curb-side recycling."
Those who don't want to go with the single hauler will have no way to challenge it, Ms. Port said. There are no senior discounts in the bid as well, she said. "Residents have no say, and I don't like this."
Resident Charlie Butters also was critical of awarding a bid to one hauler. "This attempt to make one size fit all is going to fit a smaller percentage than they think," he said.
Mr. Butters said people who care are concerned about services, the price and government "messing in their business."
"I wouldn't be surprised to see court actions in the near future from the losing bidders based on the way the bid document was structured and the way it was awarded," Mr. Butters said. "This was loosey-goosey."
Resident Marty Winston has opposed the entire bidding process and said there have been "irregularities and bias" in the bids. The contract could easily drive other trash haulers out of business, he said.
The township will receive free hauling, and that amounts to a benefit for the government and a tax on residents, he said. "It's a tax not approved on the ballot."
Mr. Winston said he has witnessed what he believes to have been flaws in the bid process. The language in the bid document "clearly favored Waste Management and disfavored all over bidders," he said.
He has questioned if there is a connection between Waste Management and Mr. Mueller's business, Polyscience Engineering Group.
He has been gathering information on how many homes each hauler services now in the township.
"I don't know what they are," Mr. Dickinson said of the "irregularities" mentioned by Mr. Winston. "We ran it by the county prosecutor's office. I don't know what procedures he is talking about."
There were strong points for each bid, Mr. Dickinson said. "But I thought Waste Management had better offerings and a more responsive bid."
By going with one hauler, "we're cutting costs up to 40 percent," he said. He also noted that residents pay for trash hauling for the township, one way or another.
Mr. Mueller said, "We as trustees have the right under the law to designate a single supplier to collect trash exclusively in Russell Township, and we opened that process to a request for proposals from bidders."
Mr. Mueller said bidders were permitted to propose alternatives in their bid packages. "We tried as much as possible in the pre-bid meeting to take into account the thoughts of the bidders to make sure everyone could get in," he said.
In considering bids, information from three other communities with single-hauler contracts were reviewed.
Mr. Mueller said he has never done any work with Waste Management or any of the companies that bid on the contract. "I do air-quality work, not garbage work," he said.
"I've been in public office 30 years, and I never would have accomplished anything in life if I had been afraid of being sued by every person who had a contrary opinion," Mr. Mueller said.
"It's always easy for someone in the cheap seats to criticize the players on the field. We're the ones responsible for helping to move our community forward," he said.
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