Kankakee committee recommends Republic Services Option 1 to advance for city garbage contract

Kankakee City’s Licensed & Franchise Committee voted to recommend Republic Services’ Option 1 for the city’s refuse contract, advancing the administration’s proposal to legal review and to the full City Council for final action.

City Manager Kubel, who presented the procurement review, said seven firms requested the request-for-proposal packet and two submitted proposals. "Because it's an RFP, cost certainly is a heavy component of the decision," Kubel said, adding that non-price factors — including equipment, reporting and damage protections — were treated as part of the evaluation. Kubel said the administration’s recommendation at that point was to select Republic Services Option 1.

The committee discussed two service models solicited in the RFP. Option 1 would maintain the current alley/curbside collection system residents use now. Option 2 would move recycling to a small set of centralized locations. Kubel warned that centralized recycling would require one-time infrastructure work — concrete pads, fencing, cameras and signage — and cited materials and education costs tied to that change.

Committee members raised three operational concerns in discussion: pileups or missed pickups for bulk items, truck weight and alley damage, and whether centralized sites would become dumping grounds. One member offered a detailed example of a new alley that sustained damage within weeks of opening, underscoring worries about equipment and routing. Kubel read the proposal’s damages clause aloud: "The contractor shall provide collection equipment that will not disfigure or damage city streets and operators that will operate vehicles in a manner that will not damage streets, sidewalks, overhead trees, etcetera," and noted the contractor would be required to repair city property and pay invoices within 30 days.

The committee also sought stronger accountability measures. Staff said the RFP requires quarterly complaint reporting from the contractor, with the complaint log becoming city property and available for the city to match against its own records to measure performance.

On cost, members cited different calculations: staff noted Option 1 was slightly less expensive than the city’s current cost in year one (a reported ~$0.98 savings); other calculations discussed by members equated centralized recycling savings to roughly $1.57 per household (one speaker said centralized service could save about $15 a year per household in another estimate). Several committee members said those savings did not clearly outweigh the convenience of curbside recycling for many residents and flagged setup costs for centralized sites (an estimate of about $100,000 was mentioned) and potential misuse of centralized bins.

After discussion, an unidentified committee member moved to recommend Republic Services Option 1 be advanced to legal for contract creation; the motion was seconded and passed on a recorded roll-call vote. The committee recorded affirmative votes from Alderman Talley, Alderman Barron, Alderman Jones, Alderman Navarez, Alderman Marzak and Aldewoman Johnson.

Next steps: the committee’s recommendation will be forwarded to City Council for consideration on Dec. 15, with any contract authorization subject to legal review before final signatures and implementation.