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County weighs higher GFL rates against bringing residential garbage pickup in-house
Summary
County staff told the July 28 work session that GFL notified the county of a contract price increase that would raise residential pickup costs from about $312,000 to $342,000 annually; staff said bringing the service in-house could save roughly $92,000 a year but would require capital outlay for a truck and additional administration.
County Manager Thomas Weaver told the July 28 work session that the county received a notice from contractor GFL indicating a rate increase for residential pickup that would raise the county’s annual expense for that service from about $312,000 to about $342,000.
Weaver said the county’s total residential pickup cost was currently cited at roughly $480,137 per year (the record did not attribute the figure to a specific line item). He told commissioners the contract includes automatic renewal language and that price adjustments are tied to CPI indexing; "It is not supposed to exceed CPI, cost price indexing, which is 3%," Weaver said. He said he will review the contract language with staff.
Weaver presented an alternative: operate residential pickup in-house. He said the county could buy a truck using SPLOST funds and save approximately $92,000 annually compared with the contractor price, though that estimate excludes capital costs and assumes operational challenges can be managed. "If it broke down, we could rent a truck and within two hours we could have a truck here from Atlanta," Weaver said when describing contingency options for equipment downtime.
Commissioner Gerald Douglas reported seeing material at the recycle center he questioned and urged staff to confirm payment compliance by contractors using county facilities. Commission members asked staff to bring the GFL contract and more detailed financial analysis back to the full commission for consideration at a regular meeting.
Next steps: County staff will locate and review the contract terms for allowable increases, produce a cost comparison that incorporates equipment and staffing needs for an in-house option, and return recommendations to the commission.
