Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Solid Waste Contract topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Council reviews proposed Ed’s Disposal contract updates; staff outline CPI, insurance and organics terms
Summary
City staff and Ed’s Disposal representatives reviewed a proposed franchise contract update that would change CPI notice timing, reset a fuel baseline, increase insurance minimums, and add provisions related to forthcoming state organics requirements; no council approval was taken at the May 20 meeting.
Benton City — Representatives for Ed’s Disposal and Benton City staff reopened discussion on a proposed franchise contract update on May 20, outlining several changes the hauler has proposed and the operational implications for the city.
The company representative described several substantive edits to the 1999 contract: moving the CPI notification to July with an effective date of Jan. 1 for budget alignment; updating the contract fuel baseline (the current contract lists diesel at $2.53 per gallon, which the company said no longer reflects market prices); increasing the insurer limit toward a $2 million standard; and converting evergreen termination terms to a longer rolling amortization (the company proposed a 15‑year rolling contract to spread capital costs for trucks, which the speaker said can cost upward of $600,000 today versus roughly $100,000 when the contract was first signed).
Company staff also discussed compliance implications from state legislation on organics and recycling (House Bill 1799 was cited). The representative said the bill will gradually require curbside organics pickup and that vendors and jurisdictions may need exemptions while facilities and collection systems are built. He said a 5‑year exemption may be requested and that the firm has appended potential collection methods and exhibits describing how curbside organics collection could be performed.
Councilmembers asked about immediate cost impacts to the city. Ed’s Disposal staff said the proposed contract does not change current city costs for 2025, but it adjusts contract language and formulas to reflect realistic fuel and equipment costs going forward. The company said some operational items referenced in older contract language (for example, 105‑gallon carts) should be updated to reflect current equipment sizes (96‑gallon carts) and that some temporary service requests (extra large carts) would require contract language changes.
No formal action was taken; staff will continue contract review and return with final recommendations to council at a future meeting.
