Public Works committee recommends 7-year contract with Harters for village refuse and recycling

At a Public Works and Utility Committee meeting, members voted to recommend that the Village Board authorize staff to draft a seven‑year refuse and recycling contract with Harters and continue contract negotiations.

Committee members said they reviewed a detailed cost comparison showing 5-, 7- and 10‑year options, discussed whether to offer weekly recycling service and examined differences in how vendors tie annual price increases to indexes or fixed percentages. Jamie (staff) told the committee the packet included a corrected fuel‑surcharge formula and that the vendors’ CPI‑linkage options differed: "waste management is gonna be tied to the consumer price index for water, sewer, and trash collection, and the Harters would be tied to garbage and trash collection or 5% annually," Jamie said.

Speakers also discussed container replacement plans and bulk‑item handling. Ed Sutton, representing Carter’s Disposal during the presentation for Harters, said Harters would provide new, matching carts village‑wide and estimated that cart replacement alone would represent a substantial local investment: "we're gonna put all brand new carts on the street here, matching carts," Sutton said. Sutton and other Harters representatives also presented a seven‑year cost scenario the company said would produce the largest village‑level savings over time; Harters’ figures projected roughly $358,000 in savings to the village over a seven‑year term, a figure the company asked the committee to consider during vendor selection.

Committee members asked whether weekly curbside recycling (rather than the current biweekly schedule) was feasible; staff advised weekly service would be substantially more expensive and "cost prohibitive at this moment in time," Jamie said. The committee discussed alternatives for residents with extra recycling—one vendor proposed an overflow option (an additional $2 per bag taken at a drop‑off site) and the committee noted the nearest recycling drop‑off for some residents is operated by a neighboring provider in Ringle.

The committee also reviewed bulk‑item provisions: Harters proposed including a bulk‑item collection allowance in its per‑household price, while Waste Management’s proposal treated bulk items as a separate charge at about $55 per ton; staff presented an estimated annual bulk‑item cost and explained how that amount would be spread across households on the tax bill. Committee members asked staff to ensure contract language for the vendor selected would require necessary insurance and be reviewed by village attorneys before final execution.

After discussion, a committee member moved to recommend the seven‑year Harters option to the Village Board; a second was given and the motion passed on a voice vote. Committee members directed staff to draft agreement language, including the clarified fuel‑surcharge formula and options for which CPI look‑back to use when calculating annual adjustments, and to return the draft contract to the board for authorization prior to execution. The recommendation will be considered by the Village Board at its meeting on June 16 at 6:00 p.m., according to staff remarks.

Costs and contract details cited at the meeting included the current special charge on tax bills (about $1.67 per unit), projected per‑household charges under various vendor proposals (examples discussed ranged from about $1.72 to $1.74 under some scenarios), and vendor claims about insurance limits and cart replacement costs. Committee members emphasized they were making a recommendation to the board rather than signing a contract on the committee floor.

The committee hearing included vendor representatives from Harters, Carter’s Disposal and Waste Management and staff from Marathon County Solid Waste who were present to answer questions about regional operations and markets.