Agenda - Council - 10/28/2025 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Senior Planner Anderson said they have done three-year contracts in the past with one-year extensions so it will be up to the Council to determine the duration of a contract they would be looking at. Mayor Heineman asked if they had ever requested three bids rather than going out for an RFP. Senior Planner Anderson said no. Mayor Heineman noted that having three bidders seems to be an easier way to go about this rather than having to go through the entire RFP process. He asked Councilmember Buscher what she meant by wanting to add a labor agreement. Councilmember Buscher explained this would require whoever is awarded the contract to remain neutral if the haulers decide to unionize. Mayor Heineman disagreed with this and noted that he does not believe it is the City's business to have a say in this. Councilmember Peters asked if they would be legally allowed to just request three bids rather than doing an RFP. City Attorney Knaak noted that requesting bids and doing an RFP are very similar. He said they are always able to go out for bids rather than do an RFP. Councilmember Specht asked about the difference between an RFP and a bid. Mayor Heineman explained that an RFP is when a municipality issues a formal request for proposals that gets posted online and anyone can submit a proposal and all of the results have to be published publicly which causes a lot more scrutiny. He said a bid is easier as they can choose trusted vendors and ask for their best price. City Attorney Knaak noted that RFPs tend to be for services and bids tend to be for goods. He said the advantage of getting bids is that they have the responsibility of deciding who is the responsible bidder. Councilmember Specht stated that if they decide to just stay with a single contracted hauler then he thinks they need to open it up for bids; however, he is supportive of an open hauler system. Councilmember Stewart said she would like them to stay with a single hauler and would prefer to go the bid route rather than an RFP so the Council can maintain some control. She added that she also disagrees with the labor agreement suggested by Councilmember Buscher. Councilmember Riley shared his support for requesting three bids. Councilmember Olson agreed.