The Austin Resource Recovery Commission unanimously recommended that City Council approve contract MA1500NC25000078 to continue the Austin Recycles mobile application and web widget, a customer-facing platform the department said is central to scheduling bulk collections, sending service alerts, and offering educational tools.

"I am here tonight to request favorable recommendation for contract number MA1500NC25000078 for regular platform and waste collection services with [the vendor], with a total contract amount not to exceed $594,000 over 3 years," Carrie Greenwalt, public information and marketing manager for Austin Resource Recovery, told commissioners.

Why it matters: the app and web widget provide residents with collection calendars, appointment scheduling for on-demand services (bulk brush and household hazardous waste), service-alert messaging, and other features the department says are necessary to maintain current customer service levels. Greenwalt said the department lacks in-house programming capacity to operate and maintain the platform.

Commissioners asked for usage and price justification. Greenwalt said the calendar tool has been live since 2017 and the mobile app launched in April 2020. "We have had 76,000 app installs since the launch," she said, and the department has logged more than 11 million calendar views and about 130,000 reminders set across phone, text, email and app channels. When asked about the contract's higher price compared with previous agreements, Greenwalt said the vendor has added features over time and that the company was purchased by a larger firm, driving up rates; she also noted the contract was procured through cooperative pricing (Sourcewell) to align with comparable municipal purchases.

Several commissioners pressed the size of the increase. One commissioner said, "That's a pretty big bump," and asked staff to more tightly review the figures; Greenwalt agreed to provide more detailed usage and cost breakdowns and said ARR will continue to monitor competing vendors as the technology market evolves.

What the vote did: Iris (Commissioner) moved approval and Ollie seconded; the commission voted unanimously to recommend approval to Council.

What happens next: the recommendation moves to City Council for final approval. Commissioners asked staff to provide periodic updates on app performance and to return with more detailed financial data in future meetings.