Merriam council approves single-hauler participation, GFL subcontract and creates solid-waste fund

The Merriam City Council on a 7-0 vote approved participation in a Mid-America Regional Council cooperative contract for solid waste services, authorized a direct-service subcontract with GFL Environmental and created a new solid waste fund for budget tracking. "There is no direct associated cost with participating in the MARC contract," said Miss Gard, the staff presenter, describing the procurement step that will let Merriam use a competitively bid regional contract. The council then approved a subcontract with GFL and a resolution creating a solid waste fund to record incoming special-assessment revenue and outgoing payments to the contractor and program staff. Nut graf: Council members and staff said the change is intended to simplify procurement, align Merriam’s collection program with regional standards and provide a budgeting structure for the new single-hauler service. Staff noted the cooperative contract carries no immediate city cost, and program charges to residents will come through subsequent subcontracts and a special assessment process. City staff told council participation in MARC would streamline contracting because MARC competitively bids for multiple jurisdictions; any direct costs for households will be set later through the subcontract. Miss Gard said the city conducted its own bid and that GFL was the low bidder in both processes; council approved a direct-service agreement that defines Merriam’s specific operational terms. Council member Kozmar, speaking before votes, said he expected savings for many households and welcomed a 3% annual cap on rate increases included in the bids. Staff said the city must still decide how to structure resident charges over time: option 1 would allow up to a 3% annual increase; option 2 would create a flat five-year rate with no annual increases. Miss Gard said council does not have to choose a rate structure tonight and that the city need not notify the county to add a special assessment to tax bills until September 2026. The staff presentation also described start-up costs and the recommendation to establish a solid waste fund so the city can track both the special-assessment receipts and contractor payments; the council approved the fund by resolution 7-0. Staff said the program budget includes hiring 0.5 full-time-equivalent to support administration of the single-hauler program and that staff will present detailed costing, fund-balance projections and public-notice plans before assessments are placed on county tax bills. Ending: Council members asked staff to continue public outreach and to post updated frequently asked questions on the city web page; staff said it will return with cost projections and recommended assessment timing before any charges appear on resident bills.