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Linden mayor directs RFQ for waste-management consultant as city readies large food‑waste digester project
Summary
Mayor Armstead told the council he has asked the city attorney to prepare a request for qualifications to hire a waste‑management consultant ahead of a planned anaerobic digester food‑waste‑to‑gas project that the city expects will generate about $4 million a year in tax ratables.
Mayor Armstead directed the city attorney to prepare a request for qualifications to bring on a waste‑management consultant as Linden advances plans for a large anaerobic digester food‑waste‑to‑gas project.
The mayor told the City Council that the project “is the largest, anaerobic digester, food waste to gasification project in the country,” and said the city expects to receive “$4,000,000 a year in ratables” from the development. He said he has asked City Attorney Dan Antonello to draft an RFQ so the city can assess how best to obtain host‑community benefits and monitor the project’s fiscal and operational implications.
Why it matters: the administration says the plant could add several million dollars in annual tax revenue, which would affect the municipal budget and potential community investments. Mayor Armstead framed the RFQ as a preparatory step to secure a formal host‑community benefit and to ensure the city understands operational impacts and revenue opportunities.
Council members did not debate the RFQ directive in detail during the meeting. The mayor described the action as a staff direction rather than formal legislation or contract award: “I’ve directed our council, Dan Antonello, our city attorney, to explore what it would take to create a request for qualifications, to bring on a waste management consultant,” he said.
The mayor said the city will use the consultant to evaluate what benefits it should seek from the developer and to advise on waste‑processing arrangements. He also said the administration is considering negotiating infrastructure or access changes to secure payments tied to materials routed through municipal roads.
No contract for consulting services was awarded at the meeting. The council later approved a separate, unrelated contract amendment with Government Strategies Group for up to $10,000 to assist with the 2025 budget process (see separate vote recap). The waste‑management RFQ was announced as an administrative direction; any consultant hire would require a future procurement action or council authorization.
Ending: The mayor said further details and any draft RFQ will be reported back to the council after City Attorney Antonello completes a scope recommendation.
