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Commission directs staff to research sanitation options, including franchise fees and organized collection
Summary
Commissioners debated franchise fees for outside haulers, the possibility of exclusive city service and an Organized Collection Service approach; they asked staff to research costs, timeline and alley-repair implications and return with findings in the next budget cycle.
During the workshop, commissioners discussed sanitation policy options after staff and commissioners raised concerns about private haulers using city roads without direct franchise fees or road-use compensation.
S3 argued private haulers "are continuously chewing up our roads" and urged exploring a single-provider approach to reduce alley damage. S5 said the city receives no revenue when private companies use city alleys and suggested the city could either charge a franchise fee or consider exclusive service. S8 described an "OCS" (organized collection service) approach that other Kansas cities have used and warned such programs can take up to 18 months to implement and typically exclude a separate franchise fee if adopted.
Commissioners emphasized two parallel needs: short-term alley repairs and longer-term policy analysis. "Tandem efforts will probably be the move here," S6 said, urging both immediate action on alleys and research into collecting road-use costs and establishing service models. Commissioners asked staff to separate nonessential capital requests by department (example given: a scissor lift) so commissioners can prioritize current assets and defer new acquisitions if needed.
Outcome: No ordinance or binding franchise was adopted; commissioners asked staff to prepare a formal research package for the next budget cycle that analyzes franchise-fee revenue potential, the cost and staffing implications of municipal-only collection, the timeline and legal constraints of an OCS approach, and the fiscal impact of alley repairs. Staff noted implementing an OCS could take more than a year and that legal and procurement constraints would apply.
