Published: November 30, 2005 03:11 pm            

City Examines Sanitation Bids

NEW ALBANY — The city of New Albany is one step closer to knowing who will handle its garbage and recycling services.

The Board of Works and Public Safety opened four bids for the services during a regular meeting Tuesday. The bids were made by Industrial Disposal, Clark-Floyd Landfill Eco-Tech LLC, Rumpke and City of New Albany Sanitation Workers/AFSCME Local 1861.

Industrial Disposal submitted the lowest bid, with Rumpke submitting the highest.

Mayor James Garner briefly reviewed the bids and said he plans to meet with City Attorney Shane Gibson and Board of Works President Anthony B. Toran to review and discuss them further. He expects a decision to be made on or before Dec. 13. The entity chosen is expected to begin services in January.

The city is in the midst of signing a garbage and recycling contract after Garner said something had to be done to eliminate an ongoing deficit in the Sanitation Department. The city has seen a deficit in that department over the last few years ranging from $700,000 to $900,000.

The mayor announced earlier this year his intention to enter into a public-private contract with Industrial Disposal for garbage collection. Negotiations failed and the city went through the process of rebidding the service.

In the meantime, the public has come out in support of the 29 sanitation workers who could be in danger of losing their jobs if the contract is awarded to a private company.

Sanitation workers have also gotten into the game by submitting their own bid, which union President Mickey Thompson said would keep garbage pickup a city service.

In their bid, the union proposes to raise user fees by $3, building and operating a transfer station and selling recycled goods to a vendor. Customers currently pay $13.75 per household, per month for garbage pickup.

Thompson said the union’s plan is to also eliminate what sanitation workers say are problematic garbage-collecting vehicles that were purchased by former mayor Regina Overton and buying five rear-loader trucks that have been used in the past. Sanitation workers say the Overton-era trucks don’t fit in all city alleys and have caused the collapse of garages in the city.

The union also proposes using riverboat-gambling money to pay the remaining balance on garbage containers that were purchased under Overton.

The city currently owes $243,000 on the garbage containers. It also owes $311,000 on six garbage trucks.

The Clark-Floyd bid proposed to employ 22 to 26 of the city’s sanitation workers. Rumpke also said it would give priority to those workers currently employed by the city if those people met the company’s criteria.





COLLECTION AND DELIVERY OF SOLID WASTE AND RECYCLABLES BIDS

• INDUSTRIAL DISPOSAL — $11.56 per household, per month

• RUMPKE — $17.63 per household, per month with a 5 percent franchise fee going to the City of New Albany

• CLARK-FLOYD LANDFILL ECO-TECH LLC — $12.90 per household, per month

• CITY OF NEW ALBANY SANITATION WORKERS/AFSCME — $21 per ton for delivery. The bid proposes to build and operate a transfer station, increase the user fee by $3 and sell recyclables to a vendor.

        

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