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Modesto council approves multiple contracts, accepts housing funds and adopts new solid‑waste agreements with rate changes
Summary
The Modesto City Council on June 9 approved a suite of consent and contract items including an amended five‑year fire administrative services agreement with Turlock, acceptance of year‑five PLHA funding, and restated solid‑waste collection agreements that carry a phased rate adjustment. Council also approved changes to self‑haul deposits and service standards.
The Modesto City Council on June 9 approved several resolutions to update city contracts and accept state housing funds, while adopting new restated agreements with the city’s two solid‑waste haulers and a rate adjustment the city says funds stronger performance standards.
Council unanimously approved an amended and restated five‑year agreement to provide fire administrative services between Modesto and the City of Turlock, a staff‑led regionalization arrangement described by Fire Chief Shannon Evans as producing “cost savings for the city of Turlock” and supporting shared EMS and administrative services. The resolution authorizes the city manager to execute the agreement.
On housing, the council accepted year‑five funding under the state Permanent Local Housing Allocation (PLHA) program and approved a related amendment to Modesto’s five‑year plan to increase commitments for affordable owner‑occupied workforce housing. Planning staff said the award reported in the staff presentation is “$637,26” (as written in the report) and that the city will submit the amended plan to the state Department of Housing and Community Development by June 30.
The council also considered a months‑long renegotiation of the city’s solid‑waste franchise agreements. Interim Public Works Director Patrick Crowley and a consultant presented restated service agreements with Jolton Solid Waste Management and Bertilotti Disposal that remove evergreen extensions, set a fixed initial 10‑year term with renewal options, add 40 defined performance standards and liquidated damages, require third‑party cost audits in designated years, and raise performance bond and insurance minimums.
Under the new methodology, staff recommended an 8.3% upward adjustment to residential and commercial maximum rates (applied as specified in the agreement) and a smaller increase for large roll‑off industrial containers. Staff said the 8.3% residential increase equates to about $4.58 per month for a typical residential account; other published rate changes in the staff report include updated self‑haul security deposit amounts and increases to commercial and industrial maximums. Council members stressed the changes were the product of multi‑year negotiations that aimed to remove the previous automatic evergreen clause and add accountability measures.
Votes at a glance - Consent calendar (multiple items): approved unanimously. - Amended fire administrative services agreement with Turlock (Item 12): approved unanimously. (Moved by Council member Bavaro; seconded by Council member Alvarez.) - PLHA year‑5 allocation and 5‑year plan amendment (Item 21): approved unanimously. - Restated service agreements with Bertilotti and Jolton, and related solid‑waste rate adjustments and self‑haul security schedule (Item 22): approved (each resolution carried by roll call).
What’s next Staff said requests for proposals will follow where state or grant funds are to be awarded (PLHA projects) and that the solid‑waste agreements include reporting and audit checkpoints in years that will revisit costs and benchmarks. The city also said utility billing hardship programs remain available for residents who qualify.
