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Highland Falls board authorizes RFP to assess contracting out wastewater treatment
Summary
Trustees voted to authorize an RFP to solicit pricing for outsourcing wastewater treatment after the village's long-serving operator announced retirement; trustees and residents debated cost, one incumbent bidder (BRI), and the need for apples-to-apples bids before any contract decision.
The Highland Falls Village Board voted to authorize a request for proposals to explore contracting out wastewater treatment after longtime operator John Jones announced his planned retirement. Mayor Joe framed the RFP as a pricing check rather than an immediate decision: "It just means we're checking to see what the prices what the prices are out there in the in the workforce for this, sewer plant wastewater treatment plant," he said during the meeting.
Trustees and members of the public debated privatization's potential savings and service impacts. One trustee urged careful comparison, noting the village currently spends "about $424,000 in salaries and benefits for the full time employees and the part time employees in the sewer plant alone," while another trustee stressed benefits and legacy costs could raise the apparent price of in-house staffing. Board members said they would require comparable, "apples-to-apples" bids and review RFQ returns before any contract award; the motion to issue the RFP passed after a second and voice vote.
