City of Lincoln: Vote on waste hauler contract postponed to September 5th

[August 21, 2017]  LINCOLN - At the August 15th meeting of the Lincoln City Council, there was an expectation the council would discuss bids for a waste hauler and recycling contract for the city. However, on that evening, two aldermen, Rick Hoefle and Steve Parrott, were absent for the night. The consensus of the council was that the final discussion should be postponed until all aldermen would be present.

The item was on the agenda for the Committee of the Whole. When Mayor Seth Goodman introduced the topic, City Administrator Clay Johnson offered up his recommendation that it would be a good idea for the aldermen to commit to a voting date.

Johnson said, as it stood the bids had been submitted from Area Disposal and Advanced Disposal with an effective date of October 1st. He said it was doubtful now that the awardee would be able to honor that start date. So, the city would have to speak with the providers about when they could begin the contract.

It was suggested that the aldermen set the vote for the first voting meeting in September, which due to that Monday being Labor Day, would move to Tuesday, September 5th.

The council agreed that the final discussion on the topic should be held at the C.O.W. on Tuesday, August 29th, and the item shall be placed on the voting agenda for the following Monday.

Logan County Joint Solid Waste Agency

Mitzi Rohlfs and Jim Struebing were on hand for the Tuesday night meeting, and did speak to the aldermen about an addendum that will be made to the LCJSWA agreement, shortening the term of the contract.

Struebing said that the formal document had not at that time been finalized because the LCJSWA had not yet held its August board meeting. However, the addendum had been written as it would be presented to the board.

Rohlfs read aloud the addendum, which included taking the length of the contract down to five years from 20. The new agreement would include a six-month notice for anyone wishing to opt out at the end of the five year term.

The first five year term would end on June 4, 2022. To opt out of renewal, any municipality wishing to do so would have to submit a written notice to the agency no later than January 4, 2022.

Struebing said the agency needed that six month notice so that the board could adjust its budget to accommodate the loss of revenue and decide how to revise its recycling practices to accommodate that new budget.

He added that the six month notice could be rescinded.

Alderman Ron Keller noted that in prior discussions regarding the term, the agency had stood firm that it needed the 20 year agreement. Now it was willing to go to a five year term. He wondered what had changed.

Struebing said nothing had changed. The agency still needs the 20 year contract. However, if members are not happy and won’t agree to a 20 year term, the board has to do what it has to do to keep the membership.

Rohlfs added that the benefit of the program to the county outweighs what the board feels it needs in the terms of the agreement. She said simply, “We will do what we need to do to keep the agency going.”

Alderman Jeff Hoinacki asked about other language in the contract. He wanted to know if the stipulation that the entire membership has to be in agreement to allow one entity to withdraw had been taken out of the contract.

Struebing said it had not, any member wishing to exit from the program would still have to have approval from the full membership in order to do so. However, he added that he felt that when it came to that, if one member felt that they would be better off leaving the LCJSWA, there was a good chance that the other members would feel perhaps the LCJSWA would be better off for them to leave as well.

Lincoln resident supports waste hauler agreement

Earlier in the evening, during public participation, Chris Isabell, a resident of Lincoln living on Reagent Street addressed the council. He spoke in favor of the city signing a waste hauler agreement that would mandate trash collection for all households.

Isabell said that he had relocated to Lincoln because it was a convenient location centered between workplaces and family in other nearby cities.

He spoke about the city being a bedroom community, and told the aldermen that was something they should embrace and accept that there will be not big industrial businesses moving to town. However, he said being a bedroom community is an opportunity for the city to grow, if it works to make Lincoln attractive.

He said where he moved from trash was franchised by the city, and residents did have to participate. He said it made for a cleaner community, and that is what he would like to see for Lincoln. He said where he lives, there are incidences of trash lying about homes and a nearby neighbor has a garage full of trash that is drawing insects and animals.

Isabell said he understood the argument that people do not want to be told what to do, but, they are already being told what to do with other services in Lincoln, so why not trash. He noted they have no choice for sewer and they also have no choice for water, and no one seems to mind that.

He said he felt the city could use the extra money they will save by not joining the LCJSWA to do things that would have a positive impact on the city, such as street and sidewalk improvements or more money invested in local law enforcement and the battle against drug use.

Isabell concluded his address to the aldermen noting, “Your job is not to vote the voice of the people. It is to vote for what is in the best interest of the city on the whole.”

[Nila Smith]