Garbage bids may go in the dumpster
Washington officials are hoping to lower garbage pick-up costs for its residents, but not at the expense of the city’s roads.
Council is scheduled to open bids for garbage collection in the city at its regular monthly meeting Thursday. However, Councilman Matt Staniszewski, public works director, said the city may readvertise for bids because the specifications did not include certain criteria, including that the trucks must weigh less than 22,500 pounds, the equipment must be up to date and haulers must be bonded.
“There is a problem. The specs went out early with errors in them,” Staniszewski explained.
For years now, Staniszewski has been complaining about the deteriorating effect that the larger trucks are having on city streets, especially alleys.
“We’re dealing with an aging infrastructure as is,” he stated at Monday night’s agenda meeting. “By limiting the gross vehicle weight, we are able to curtail some of the damage to our alleys, ultimately saving the taxpayers money in repairs.”
He said he wanted the specifications so the city could compare bids to get the best price for the work.
The city’s three-year contract with Waste Management expired in November.
City residents having been paying $175 per year for the pick-up service since 2008, when the rate was increased by $50. Staniszewski said he was the only member of council to vote against the increase.