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Public Works committee tables $33,300 NewGen amendment for food-scrap program after members seek stronger community engagement language
Summary
City staff proposed a $33,300 amendment to a NewGen contract to prepare a bid and strategy for expanding Norwalk's food-scrap program; committee members and public commenters asked that the amendment include clearer community engagement, input from the sustainability director and task force, and more scope detail, and the committee tabled the item for revisions.
The committee considered a proposed first amendment to the July 20, 2023 agreement with NewGen Strategies and Solutions LLC to provide municipal solid waste disposal consulting services, specifically work to help the city bid and scale its food-scrap program. Vanessa Balderas and Tom Zabel explained that NewGen previously prepared the solid-waste master plan and that the firm is familiar with the city's goals; staff said the $33,300 task order would fund bid drafting, scoping for potential drop-off and collection locations, and strategy for a broader regional approach.
Public commenter Diane Loricella — who identified four decades in the waste-management field — urged the committee to revisit the RFP, expand scope to include community education and multiple composting approaches, and questioned the value of the $33,300 task order as drafted: "I find that as a consultant myself, I find that the scope of work is not worth $33,000," she said. Several committee members asked that the amendment explicitly incorporate a community-engagement plan, consultation with the director of sustainability and the city's sustainability task force, and clearer deliverables. Staff said the task order is intended as a flexible tool to bring consultant expertise and to help design the bid and engagement approach, but members insisted the scope should be clearer before committee approval.
After extended discussion, the committee voted unanimously to table the amendment so staff can update the amendment language to specify community engagement and to involve sustainability stakeholders before resubmitting.
