ROGERS -- City Council members said amendments to a trash pick-up contract will add accountability to a service criticized by residents in the past on Tuesday.
The council approved a series of changes to the contract with Inland Waste Solutions during the meeting. The changes include fleet and staff requirements along with penalties for service upsets.
"I consistently continue to get complaints about Inland," Betsy Reithemeyer, council member, said. "They miss pick-ups and leave messes in the road."
Reithemeyer said the contract changes will hopefully keep the trash company accountable. She also said city code enforcement should stay on top of the progress.
"I sometimes see mattresses sitting on the curb for up to a month," Reithemeyer said.
The council approved an extension to the trash contract with Inland in November. The city entered into a five-year contract with Inland on Jan. 1, 2006. The contract had been extended in 2010 for five years.
The new contract extends to Dec. 21, 2020. Chris Griffin, Rogers staff attorney, said the new contract doesn't allow for an extension. The city will have to put the service out for a public bid when the contract ends, he said.
Mayor Greg Hines said he met with Inland officials to discuss amending the contract after the council's approval to extend in November. He said fleet and staff requirements were a major concern of his.
The amended contract requires Inland to maintain at least 10 side-load and two rear-load trash removal trucks. It states all of the trucks must not be more than five years old after Jan. 1, 2017.
Requirements in the contract state seven full-time drivers and one "swing" or part-time driver must be employed by Inland. Inland also would be required to employ four full-time customer service representatives at its local facility with two of those exclusive to Rogers.
Griffin said a penalty section in the amended contract could help address concerns heard from the public in recent years.
Inland will be required to pay the city $25 in every instance it doesn't resolve a trash or recycling collection failure within 36 hours. It also will be required to pay a $25 per day penalty if it doesn't replace a missing trash or recycling bin within seven days. Another $25 per day fine could be applied for any spilled material not cleaned up immediately upon notification.
A GPS system required in the contract will also keep the company accountable, Griffin said. It requires the company update all of its trucks with a GPS system, he said. The company must give city administration access to a program that can track the trucks by Dec. 31, he said.
Gary Townzen, chairman of the Public Works Committee, said the contract seems to address all of the concerns he has heard from residents in recent years.
"I am impressed with the thoroughness of the mayor and city staff," Townzen said.
Griffin said the contract amendments are a foundation for future trash pick-up contracts. He said this will make it easier to put a trash contract out for bid in the future.
NW News on 01/13/2016