Agenda - Council Work Session - 09/27/2016

Home

Board Member Anderson noted there was so much solicitation for her business when she moved into Ramsey. There was an abundance of marketing from all kinds of companies. She suggested one of the Ordinance Amendments should state any garbage hauler approved by the City should also offer recycling. Then each resident would have the same company for both. Discussion took place regarding ACE's prices. Board Member Anderson noted they found ACE to be as competitive as anyone else that approached them for garbage service. Councilmember LeTourneau said he was curious of what the Board thinks of a multi -source option. He said he appreciated hearing the single source is the preferred one. He asked what the process would look like to design an RFP. He questioned what the contract would be based on. If the decision is to open it up to an RFP, the goals will need to be defined. It would be prudent, then, to determine whether ACE is meeting those goals. Chairperson Stodola questioned what the environmental impact would be of 30 garbage trucks driving up from Minneapolis. Driving behind garbage trucks, you can see there is garbage flying out of them. He pointed out there is an advantage to using a local company. City Planner Anderson said he believed there was an RFP initially, which would have been in the mid to late 1990s. There have been three contracts executed since 2002. The direction from the Finance Committee and then through the City Council was to try to negotiate through ACE first. He pointed out Ramsey has met and exceeded its recycling goal for about a decade now. Board Member Hiatt questioned if that goal is resonating with ACE. We want a company that is eager to help us make the goal. The prices are always going to be competitive. He posed the question of whether we want the goal met, or the cost met. City Planner Anderson stated the City made the choice to stay with ACE in the last contract negotiations. However, there is room to require their assistance with education, etc. Board Member Trossen questioned how large of a company ACE is. He said he is curious just because they are a local company. He asked how much they contribute to the City. City Planner Anderson responded they are one of Ramsey's larger employers. Their community involvement is strong, and they were one of the businesses of the year. He noted they are involved in the Happy Days event; they provide the trash service for free for Happy Days. Board Member Anderson stated she is weighing the factors against customer service. If that declines, there would be disgruntled citizens. Chairperson Stodola recommended moving forward with negotiations with ACE. Board Member Valentine commented everyone would agree that customer service is a factor. The City does take recycling goals seriously. Sometimes the least expensive service is not the best. Having a local company do the work is important and holds value, but it is not the most important factor.