Augusta remains without a garbage contract or collection rate after commissioners passed Tuesday on what would amount to a $3 monthly increase for ratepayers next year.
The director of Engineering and Environmental Services, Hameed Malik, initially presented a $10 monthly increase, which would raise the annual rate from $320.50 to $440 and generate $9.7 million for services other than garbage collection. But he presented some cheaper options Tuesday.
Augusta property owners pay for garbage pickup on their tax bills, meaning their property could be seized for nonpayment.
The department’s two selected vendors – which are also its current haulers – are willing to continue operations on a month-to-month basis but “need to have a path forward,” Malik said.
The city conducted a request for proposals for vendors to bid on three zones and returned with proposals from the haulers. They are Georgia Waste System LLC, a division of Waste Management, and Coastal Waste Recycling Inc. Each would service about half of Augusta’s 78,000 garbage customers.
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Questions about procurement, services
Some on the commission including Wayne Guilfoyle and Sean Frantom have questioned why Malik returned with two providers instead of just one for the entire county.
Other than Augusta, “I can’t find other communities that has both vendors on it,” Guilfoyle said Tuesday. He’d like the city to conduct a new procurement, Guilfoyle said.
Some have questioned Malik’s plan to attempt to raise $9.7 million for “ancillary services.” The extra money would pay for building demolitions, mosquito control, environmental compliance, vacant lot cutting and street sweeping.
“I think it should just be trash,” Frantom said.
Commissioner Bobby Williams postulated some in the group are negotiating privately with certain haulers.
“I’m going to ask for an investigation into negotiations for this particular trash contract,” Williams said Tuesday.
Commissioners Jordan Johnson said one of the haulers wants all the business.
“To sit here and hold it up because one group wants it all I think is irresponsible,” Johnson said.
Another critic, former commissioner Moses Todd, was present for the discussion. He said Augusta shouldn’t bill together for both garbage pickup and the ancillary services.
“They shouldn’t be doing it out of the ratepayers,” Todd said after the meeting. “I think that’s what the court is probably going to decide.”
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‘Not a real deficit’
The option commissioners voted on Tuesday stated on a a handout had a $5 million deficit, but “it’s not a real deficit,” Malik said.
The deficit would actually apply to the ancillary services and still leave $4.4 million for those, he said.
Recycling under the new contracts would be something the haulers are required to offer independently to customers, but Malik had no details about that program.
“It depends on the level of service,” he said. “We don’t know what level citizen is going to want.”
Without the extra funds for ancillary services, Malik said the city would have to cut back on them.
The new contracts also don’t require haulers use compressed natural gas-powered garbage trucks, Malik said.
Vote fails 5-4
In a roll-call vote, Frantom, Guilfoyle, Mayor Garnett Johnson and Catherine Smith McKnight voted no, defeating an effort to approve the new contracts with a $3 monthly increase.
Voting in favor were Johnson, Tony Lewis, Stacy Pulliam, Francine Scott and Williams. Commissioners Alvin Mason and Brandon Garrett were again absent Tuesday.
In other action, the commission approved paying employees for up to 40 hours of unused vacation time as an end-of-the-year bonus.
At assumed participation rates, the buybacks could cost taxpayers around $660,000.
