BRENHAM CITY COUNCIL PASSES UNANIMOUS VOTE ON CITY-BIG SANITATION AGREEMENT, SWEARS IN PARKER

Josh Blaschke March 5, 2020

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The Brenham City Council has officially moved sanitation operations out of the City of Brenham.

New City of Brenham Police Chief Ron Parker (left) is sworn in by Brenham Mayor Milton Tate. Parker, formerly the chief of police in La Porte, began his duties in Brenham on Monday.

The council at its meeting this (Thursday) afternoon voted unanimously in favor of Brannon Industrial Group (BIG) taking over municipal solid waste collection, disposal, and recycling services from the city.

The council’s vote pertained to the general agreement and terms and conditions, in addition to the agreements for commercial and residential waste collection and recycling services. Councilmembers will not take up action on the transferring of operations at the collection/transfer station until next month.

City Manager James Fisher said the commercial portion of the agreement will first take effect for businesses on March 30^th, with the residential portion going into effect in early May. Residents will receive their new 96-gallon trash and recycling carts—or 64-gallon, if they are senior citizens—around that time.

Fisher said this process has involved numerous months of work from staff and negotiations with BIG, but said he feels confident with this decision.

The new BIG rates for residential trash and recycling services will be $15 a month per household, up from the previously proposed $14 per month and from the city’s previous rate of $13.75 per month. The senior citizen rate for the same services will be $12 per month, down from the previously proposed $13 per month, but still up from the city’s previous rate of $11 per month.

City Manager James Fisher (left) and Brenham Mayor Milton Tate discuss with councilmembers the inner workings of a now-approved agreement with Brannon Industrial Group (BIG) to outsource sanitation operations.

Fisher said staff will later bring forward an ordinance to the council, which would raise the senior-disabled person pricing exemption from 55 years old to 65 years old. That change, if approved, would become effective October 1^st.

The rates cover once-per-week curbside trash pickup and curbside recycling pickup once every two weeks. There will be a new $15 charge for any call-in brush pickup, per occurrence. Additional carts are $8 per month, per cart.

Commercial rates remain unchanged from what was previously discussed in workshop: for once-a-week pickup—using either two, four, six, or eight-yard dumpsters—the cost for commercial customers will range from $70 to $114 per month, about a 7 percent increase from the previous rate.

Public Works Director Dane Rau said staff will have a meeting on Tuesday to discuss the proposed cart assistance program for seniors and disabled persons. He said the city has already received a few names and numbers of those who would take part in the program, but there will be a form that any residents over the age of 65 will need to fill out to participate.

Eligible recyclables for curbside recycling include, among other items: aluminum, tin, and steel cans; plastic bottles and containers, flattened cardboard, shredded paper, and glass.

Public Works Director Dane Rau (right) and City Manager James Fisher present the details of an agreement with BIG to take over sanitation operations from the City of Brenham.

Three came forward to the council to speak about the agreement. One resident, Claude Mabry, said he had concerns with the elderly being able to carry and move the carts effectively. He also called the carts “floatable”, and said residents will eventually need to install concrete pads in order to keep them in place, should it rain. Rau later said that would not be the case.

Another resident, Georgia Sowers, echoed Mabry’s concerns about being able to move the carts, adding that they are not particularly pretty to look at.

Doug Smith of Texas Disposal Systems, one of the bidders in the city’s requests to outsource services, thanked the city for considering their offer, and said the city is free to reach back out to them should something change with this agreement.

KWHI has compiled a list of the costs of residential trash and recycling collection services in area cities and cities of similar size to Brenham. That list can be seen below:

Caldwell (Republic Services) 1x/wk Trash & Recycling $18.94/mo.
Mt. Pleasant (Republic Services) 2x/wk Trash only $15.10/mo.
Gonzales (Texas Disp. System) 1x/wk Trash & Recycling $23.68/mo.

Extra cart $11.55/mo.

Pearland (Waste Management) 2x/wk Trash & Recycling $20.40/mo.
Texas City (Residential Waste) 2x/wk Trash only $24.00/mo.

Extra cart $ 5.00/mo.

Lake Jackson 2x/wk Trash & Recycling $19.85/mo.

*Lake Jackson uses garbage bags…no carts.

Cedar Park (Central TX Refuse) 1x/wk Trash & Recycling $20.23/mo.

Extra cart $ 5.50/mo.

*Cedar Park will also collect up to 7 additional bags with your cart each week

Also in session today, the council met in executive session to speak with the city attorney regarding an Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) charge, and continue talks about the development, operation, and possible acquisition of the Barnhill Center. No action was taken.

At the beginning of the meeting, Ron Parker was formally sworn in as the city’s new police chief. Parker, formerly the chief of police in La Porte, began his work with the city on Monday.

The council also approved an ordinance on its first reading authorizing a variance to minimum setback requirements as outlined in city ordinance pertaining to mobile homes, manufactured homes, and manufactured home parks.

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