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Oconomowoc to extend refuse and recycling contract for one year; city and contractor to discuss service changes
Summary
City staff recommended, and aldermen approved, a one-year extension of the refuse, recycling and yard-waste contract with the current vendor while staff and the contractor negotiate service changes for a longer-term agreement.
The City of Oconomowoc voted June 17 to extend its contract for refuse, recycling and yard-waste collection for one year with the incumbent contractor, giving staff time to negotiate service changes and consider procurement policy adjustments.
Why it matters: Refuse and recycling collection is among the city’s largest outsourced services; staff presented a history of the relationship with the vendor and recommended the one-year extension to avoid disrupting service while the city and contractor explore service tweaks — including whether to allow residents to schedule multiple bulk-item collections rather than a single weekly bulk-pickup.
What the council approved City staff said the current provider (the contractor the city has used since 2015) operates recycling, garbage and yard-waste collection and provides responsive service when misses occur. Staff recommended a straight one-year extension so the city can pursue policy and service discussions without an immediate procurement deadline.
Staff and the contractor will use the extension year to examine potential service changes such as a call-in bulk-item program, frequency adjustments and any other operational improvements; the city’s purchasing policy currently constrains negotiation, so staff also said it would evaluate policy changes to allow direct negotiations on selected services.
Contractor remarks Nate, a representative of the contractor, told the council that many other municipalities the company serves use a call-in bulk program and that he would welcome discussions with the city about a similar approach. He said the company would work with city staff to explore options and that the vendor has generally been responsive to missed-service calls.
Council action A motion to recommend the one-year extension passed on a roll-call vote with all present aldermen voting aye. Staff said the extension will buy time to pursue potential service changes and to evaluate the market before the city goes back out to bid for longer-term service.
Next steps Staff will continue negotiations with the contractor and will return to council with recommendations for any service changes and a procurement timeline; staff also cited the prospect of reevaluating the purchasing policy to permit negotiated terms for select services.
Context and clarifications The current contract traces to a 2015 agreement and subsequent extensions; the latest three-year term was nearing expiration, prompting the recommended one-year extension. Council members noted that missed-service complaints are relatively infrequent and that immediate disruption of collection services is undesirable.
