City forms committee for solid waste provider

After receiving four bids for municipal solid waste collection and disposal services, the Graham City Council established a committee to make a recommendation on which provider to accept.

The city of Graham accepted proposals for municipal solid waste collection, hauling and disposal services from Tuesday, Oct. 1 through Thursday, Dec. 12. The city was seeking proposals for collection, hauling and disposal of all residential, commercial and industrial solid waster, including refuse and bulk waste.

The city received four proposals from Frontier Waste Solutions, On Site Solutions, KC Dumpsters and from its current provider, Waste Connections. 

“We had extensive rates that we asked for, and we provided those full rates that were in each of the proposals. These rates will be available to the public if anybody wishes to come by City Hall and pick up a copy,” City Manager Eric Garretty said “...Our current rate for residential service... it’s right around $31, so all of these bids came in below our current rate.”

The companies submitted four options within their proposals for single-family residential unit service. Within those proposals are rates for service inside the city, outside the city and for rural and lake lots. Additionally, the proposals include monthly rates per additional containers. 

The proposals also have commercial, industrial and multi-family residential services for inside and outside the city. A price breakdown is also included for roll-off pricing.

The council approved a Solid Waste Provider Evaluation and Selection Committee with the purpose of evaluating the proposals and making a recommendation to the city council regarding the best option. Garretty said the council could establish a three-member committee or make the entire council serve as the committee.

“However, a committee of this type (with the whole council) would establish a quorum and constitute a meeting of the governing body,” Garretty said. “As such, the committee meeting would be subject to the Texas Open Meetings Act. Deliberations regarding selection of a provider of this type must be conducted in open session and may not be conducted in closed session when you have a quorum.”

The council voted to adopt a three-person committee consisting of council members Jeff Dickinson and Shana Wolfe and the city manager. 

Garretty said the committee will need time to review the proposals.

“These proposals are extensive. There’s a lot of elements to it, and it will require evaluation and then getting everybody together, getting all those things going to make a recommendation,” he said. “I would predict that it would be March before they could come back with the final with a selection regular contract.”

The city’s current contract expires Aug. 31, 2025, but the city manager advised the council that they would need to complete the process no later than the end of March.

“Let’s say that the committee recommends and the council approves a change to the solid waste provider. When that happens, and (the) council made their selection, there’s probably going to be at least a month or two of contract negotiations,” he said. “We would have to bring that final contract in any variations from the original proposal back to the council, and then there would be the logistics of switching out providers, (including) switching out cans, closing out the old contract, implementing the new contract.”

The council deferred setting a meeting date for the committee to the members of that committee before the next city council meeting Thursday, Jan. 16.

Garretty said if the committee makes a recommendation and the council accepts a provider other than Waste Connections, the city would need at least three months to make the transition. 

“We don’t want to put the citizens in a situation where there is an interruption in solid waste service. You simply can’t have it,” Garretty said. “I’m very conservative on things like this when it comes to city services. I think we should act sooner rather than later. I think we should act without delay.”

Solid Waste Bid Proposals

Frontier Waste Solutions

Option 1
For no Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) and no consolidated recycling for single-family residential unit services inside the city and at lake lots, the company proposed a $22.95 monthly rate for one roll-out container with a $15 charge per additional container. 
For service outside the city and in rural areas the monthly rate for one roll-out container would be $35 with a $28 charge per additional container.  

Option 2

For no CPI-U and consolidated recycling for single-family residential unit services inside the city and at lake lots, the company proposed a $24.04 monthly rate for one roll-out container with a $15 charge per additional container. 

For service outside the city and in rural areas the monthly rate for one roll-out container would be $35 with a $28 charge per additional container.  

Option 3

With CPI-U and no consolidated recycling for single-family residential unit services inside the city and at lake lots, the company proposed a $21 monthly rate for one roll-out container with a $15 charge per additional container. 

For service outside the city and in rural areas the monthly rate for one roll-out container would be $35 with a $28 charge per additional container.

Option 4

With both CPI-U and consolidated recycling for single-family residential unit services inside the city and at lake lots, the company proposed a $22 monthly rate for one roll-out container with a $15 charge per additional container. 

For service outside the city and in rural areas the monthly rate for one roll-out container would be $35 with a $28 charge per additional container.    

On Site Solutions

Option 1

For no Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) and no consolidated recycling for single-family residential unit services inside the city and at lake lots, the company proposed a $22 monthly rate for one roll-out container with a $11 charge per additional container. 

For service outside the city and in rural areas the monthly rate for one roll-out container would be $32 with a $16 charge per additional container.  

Option 2

For no CPI-U and consolidated recycling for single-family residential unit services inside the city and at lake lots, the company proposed a $23.50 monthly rate for one roll-out container with a $11.75 charge per additional container. 

For service outside the city and in rural areas the monthly rate for one roll-out container would be $32 with a $16 charge per additional container.  

Option 3

With CPI-U and no consolidated recycling for single-family residential unit services inside the city and at lake lots, the company proposed a $19.50 monthly rate for one roll-out container with a $9.75 charge per additional container. 

For service outside the city and in rural areas the monthly rate for one roll-out container would be $30 with a $15 charge per additional container.  

Option 4

With both CPI-U and consolidated recycling for single-family residential unit services inside the city and at lake lots, the company proposed a $21 monthly rate for one roll-out container with a $10.50 charge per additional container. 

For service outside the city and in rural areas the monthly rate for one roll-out container would be $30 with a $15 charge per additional container.  

KC Dumpsters

Option 1

For no Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) and no consolidated recycling for single-family residential unit services inside the city, the company proposed a $22.10 monthly rate for one roll-out container with a $15 charge per additional container. 

For lake lots, outside the city and rural service, the monthly rate would be $44.25 for one roll-out container with a $20 charge per additional container.

Option 2

For no CPI-U and consolidated recycling for single-family residential unit services inside the city, the company proposed a $23.27 monthly rate for one roll-out container with a $15 charge per additional container. 

For lake lots, outside the city and rural service, the monthly rate would be $46.60 for one roll-out container with a $20 charge per additional container.

Option 3

With CPI-U and no consolidated recycling for single-family residential unit services inside the city, the company proposed a $19.95 monthly rate for one roll-out container with a $15 charge per additional container. 

For lake lots, outside the city and rural service, the monthly rate would be $39.95 for one roll-out container with a $20 charge per additional container.

Option 4

With both CPI-U and consolidated recycling for single-family residential unit services inside the city, the company proposed a $21.01 monthly rate for one roll-out container with a $15 charge per additional container. 

For lake lots, outside the city and rural service, the monthly rate would be $42.07 for one roll-out container with a $20 charge per additional container.

Waste Connections

Option 1

For no Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) and no consolidated recycling for single-family residential unit services inside the city and at lake lots, the company proposed a $25 monthly rate for one roll-out container with a $8.80 charge per additional container. 

For service outside the city and in rural areas the monthly rate for one roll-out container would be $56.10 with a $16.25 charge per additional container.  

Option 2

For no CPI-U and consolidated recycling for single-family residential unit services inside the city and at lake lots, the company proposed a $25.45 monthly rate for one roll-out container with a $8.95 charge per additional container. 

For service outside the city and in rural areas the monthly rate for one roll-out container would be $57.15 with a $16.55 charge per additional container.  

Option 3

With CPI-U and no consolidated recycling for single-family residential unit services inside the city and at lake lots, the company proposed a $23.55 monthly rate for one roll-out container with a $8.30 charge per additional container. 

For service outside the city and in rural areas the monthly rate for one roll-out container would be $52.90 with a $15.35 charge per additional container.  

Option 4

With both CPI-U and consolidated recycling for single-family residential unit services inside the city and at lake lots, the company proposed a $24 monthly rate for one roll-out container with a $8.45 charge per additional container. 

For service outside the city and in rural areas the monthly rate for one roll-out container would be $53.90 with a $15.60 charge per additional container.  

Editor's Note: These proposal are for single-family residential unit service. For additional rates and options proposed, see the attached document.