Cabot council unanimously approves CTS contract waiver, drainage study and sale of retiring chief’s weapon

The Cabot City Council unanimously approved three items in new business: a waiver of competitive bidding to contract with CTS Services, Inc. for a one-day household hazardous-waste collection; authorization to sell a service weapon and a duty shotgun to retiring Police Chief Steely; and a task order with Half & Associates for a Rodney Guthrie drainage study funded with bond proceeds.

On CTS Services: Council heard from Matt Weber that several firms nationwide are certified to handle household hazardous waste but that most are organized to run annual municipal collection programs rather than single one-day events. Weber said CTS offers one-day drop-off events and has indicated interest in developing a year-round program for Cabot, but yearly programs exclude certain hazardous materials and would not include bulky items the city currently collects at one-day roundups. Weber said the city’s invoice for one-day events varies depending on what residents bring and has historically ranged roughly between $14,000 and $25,000; the waiver was presented so the city could contract for one-day collection without a full competitive-bid process in this case. "There are several companies nationwide that are certified and permitted contractors for the collection and disposal of household hazardous waste," Weber said, "but they don't normally do one-day events."

Weapons sale: The council approved a resolution authorizing the sale of a service weapon and a duty shotgun to retiring Chief Steely, a routine policy action described by the Police and Fire Committee chair. Council discussed an appraisal for the shotgun and the customary practice of offering retiring chiefs the option to purchase issued weapons.

Drainage study: The council also approved a contract with Half & Associates for the Rodney Guthrie drainage study. Presenter Brian Burroughs said the basin experiences nuisance flooding and needs a comprehensive study to identify repair recommendations and necessary easements; he said bond funds will pay for the task order.

Votes and procedure: Each resolution was moved, seconded and adopted by a roll-call vote of 6–0. Council members who spoke during the discussion included Matt Weber and Brian Burroughs; routine procedural motions were offered by council members and passed without further amendment.

Ending: With the three resolutions approved, the council proceeded to other agenda items including community input on public transit possibilities.