Council not ready to start RFP bidding process

The Peachtree City Council has elected to seek formal “requests for information” from the city’s residential trash companies.

The information will be used to determine whether the city would benefit from creating a trash franchise, which would require all residents to use the same trash collection company.

Council has put off for now a potential vote to formally seek proposals from the city’s current four trash providers for a possible franchise. The providers would then, if they wish, provide a return bid for the council to consider.

City Clerk Betsy Tyler said even if the city goes with the RFP (request for proposal) bid process, council will not be required to select any of the offers.

In that regard, council could opt to leave the current open market as is instead of selecting any of the proposals from the RFP, Tyler noted.

Proponents of creating a trash franchise say it would also dramatically reduce trash truck traffic in the city and improve efficiency for the company that would be selected.

Opponents say the city would be creating a trash monopoly though the free market system is working just fine. The city has four companies that provide residential trash pickup that residents can choose from.

The idea of sending a request for information to the companies came from City Council candidate Doug Sturbaum, who said he has experience with using that concept from his job as a purchasing agent.

With the information in hand, the council will be able to better gauge whether an RFP process would be worth the effort, Sturbaum said.

Councilman Steve Boone said he was still opposed to usurping the current free market system.

“I am totally against single source,” Boone said. “Competition bears quality.”

Councilwoman Cyndi Plunkett said she hasn’t seen enough information to make her vote for a trash franchise, but the city should try to get that information in case the benefits would be overwhelming.

Councilman Stuart Kourajian said he brought the issue back up from when it was initially visited almost two years ago because he isn’t a proponent of the “if it’s not broke, don’t fix it,” theory.

Councilman Mike Harman said one of the most obvious benefits would be the dramatic reduction in trash truck traffic, as companies are running duplicate routes to get the job done under the current system.

City staff has met with trash service companies individually to get background information and has also acquired bid documents those companies have submitted in the past, said City Clerk Betsy Tyler.

Tyler noted those documents are tailored to the needs of the companies but give the city more information on which to make its decision.