Council reviews small municipal contracts; staff reports rising use of Recollect app for collection notices

The council moved to approve a set of administrative contracts and received updates on the city’s Recollect collection app usage. Resolutions in the meeting packet included a professional-services agreement with Bank of Oakdale for rental car quick-turnaround concept development ($9,500), a 36-month agreement with Routeware Inc. for the Recollect software (about $2,725.38), and an audit engagement letter with BerganKDV for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025. Councilmembers voiced support for airport work and for continued modernization of city services. Public Works Division Manager Randy Bennett reported usage metrics for Recollect: about 76.3% of the platform users access it via the app rather than the web, there are about 2,879 active push-notification subscribers, and roughly 3,000 monthly active users searching for collection addresses and schedules. Bennett said printed calendars are still available on request but the city strongly encourages residents to use the app; he reported roughly 11,000 customers are on the solid-waste list, so app users represent a minority of total customers at this point. Councilmembers praised the app’s utility for real-time alerts; one member said they received notifications when the tree dump closed during high winds and after heavy rain. Staff said they will continue outreach to increase app adoption, noting that higher adoption can reduce route reruns and operational impacts during holidays or weather events.