City outlines debris‑management contracts and recalls Harvey cleanup metrics

Assistant City Manager Mr. Lisec told council on June 16 that the city maintains a debris‑management contract (AshBritt) and a monitoring contract (Tetra Tech) to support large‑scale cleanup and to document work for FEMA reimbursement.

Lisec described services the contractor provides — temporary debris sites, grinding/compacting material, heavy equipment and collection — and explained that the monitoring company documents every load with photos and weights so the city can submit accurate reimbursement claims. He said council must declare a disaster before the city activates the contract and that the contracts themselves do not cost the city money unless activated.

Drawing on the Harvey response, Lisec gave the council concrete metrics: roughly 401,000 cubic yards collected, 8,813 loads, 452 leaners removed, 5,932 hangers inspected/removed, and 42 stumps removed. He contrasted those hurricane figures with a more typical year (staff estimated about a few hundred tons annually) and said the city’s 2025 estimate for debris was about 25,000 tons.

Lisec also explained contracting timelines (current AshBritt contract began June 3, 2020 and had renewals; monitoring contract schedules are staggered on purpose so a single transition does not change both vendors at once) and emphasized that Tetra Tech’s monitoring helped the city respond quickly to a FEMA audit by providing photos and documentation within 24 hours.

Council asked clarifying questions about tracking of machine hours and personnel time; staff said finance tracks employee time and that Tetra Tech documents truck movements and weights for reimbursement.