Public Works briefed the City Board on 2026 priorities: finalizing a landfill gas‑to‑energy contract, transitioning a refuse routing pilot to an RFP, recovering from storm debris with an in‑house collection plan, and buying equipment intended to improve pothole repairs and storm response.
Why it matters: the landfill gas project could produce royalties for the solid‑waste fund; debris and pothole programs affect service reliability for residents.
Manisha (Public Works director) said the department selected Moro Energy (consultant/contractor) for a landfill gas capture, treatment and pipeline project that the department expects will take about 12 months after contract signing to reach full operation. "We anticipate that they'll be operational in 2027," the director said, characterizing that timeline as contingent on contract execution.
Public Works said it tested two vendors in a routing pilot to optimize curbside collection and monitoring; the city will issue an RFP and hopes to have a contracted service operating by year end. The process is meant to reduce missed pickups and to improve pre‑/post‑trip monitoring.
On storm debris, the department said a Tetra Tech survey informed a decision to perform the current debris collection in‑house; crews began collections the week of the hearing and expected to complete work in about two months, subject to FEMA reimbursement processes for some costs.
Street operations highlighted grant success: the department reported about $7.2 million in outside funding in 2025 for projects from Metroplan, Arkansas Department of Transportation (ARDOT) and EPA. Traffic engineering noted a grant to replace roughly 871 street lights with LEDs using approximately $2.1 million through Metroplan/EPA.
Pothole response: Public Works plans to acquire modern milling or asphalt zipper equipment to enable larger, more durable patches rather than frequent small repairs. The director said existing heavy equipment has long lead‑time downtime and that purchasing new specialized gear is part of the 2026 planning.
No formal board vote occurred. Public Works said the rate study by Raftelis is underway and will be presented when complete; the department will return with more detailed October budget numbers.