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Council members defend switch to local trash hauler, say renegotiation cut residential rate
Summary
Council members discussed a recent transition from a national trash hauler to a local contractor, defended the decision amid public criticism, and said renegotiation reduced expected residential bills and saved the city money compared with prior arrangements.
A council member who led the bid process defended the city's decision to contract with a local hauler, saying the choice was made by staff and council members rather than the mayor. "William and I decided to go with Alfred because they were local," the council member said, noting the company’s community donations and prior participation in local events.
The city administrator acknowledged hiccups during the transition but said staff expect service to improve. He added the city moved from a major national hauler to a local provider and negotiated lower rates: "we went from a major national hauler to more of a local 1," the administrator said, and the speaker later reported negotiated residential bills would be $20 rather than a projected $25, representing an annual savings relative to earlier billing arrangements that the speaker quantified as roughly $6,000 per year.
