CITY OF BRENHAM ANSWERS FAQ’S ON SANITATION OUTSOURCING AGREEMENT

  

The typically unexciting subject of garbage has become quite the hot topic for Brenham residents over the past few months, following the city’s decision to outsource sanitation operations to Brannon Industrial Group (BIG).

(courtesy City of Brenham)

As contract negotiations continue between the city and BIG, many residents have raised questions and concerns about the agreement. Monday, the city issued a press release addressing many frequently asked questions.

In the release, city officials said the safety and risk of trash collections increase each year, and the lack of personnel willing to ride on the back of garbage trucks and pick up trash is a significant challenge. Officials say the city is often forced to borrow staff from other departments to meet the needs of twice-per-week pickup service, which then leads to deficits in other departments.

Update @ 5 p.m.: According to City Manager James Fisher, the city uses a temporary placement agency to fill these part-time positions.  Fisher said the benefit of using this method is that the placement agency assumes the risks associated with these hires.  The wages for those personnel placements range from $11 to $16 per hour.

Fisher said the city used two trash trucks to run trash routes, and on any given residential route, two workers were typically riding on the back of those trucks to pick up trash bags.  Fisher said many of those workers were part-time, and added that keeping workers was one of the challenges the city faced and one of the factors in whether to keep operations in-house or to outsource them.

For BIG's operation, Fisher said two to three full-time trucks will be running trash routes.  The trucks will be automated, so while there will be drivers, he does not expect workers will be on the back of the trucks.  However, those trucks may have a helper in the cabin to help get trash carts back where they need to be at a residence, or move them closer to the truck for pickup.

Public Works Director Dane Rau said this proposed change in services “was not decided overnight or without researching and evaluating all options”. He stated much time was put into figuring out how to change services while minimally affecting residents financially.

Blake Brannon of Brannon Industrial Group and BVR Waste and Recycling said BIG is a local business that is “ready and willing to partner with the city and its residents to reach a common goal”. He said the group intends to help the city refine what he says is “an already excellent service” in a way that residents “don’t see costly increases down the road”.

Officials said in the release that the standard 96-gallon carts being offered hold approximately six or seven 13-gallon trash bags. Twice-per-week trash pickup was considered, but staff said findings “did not provide reasonable rates for residents”.

Eligible recyclables for curbside recycling include, among other items: aluminum, tin, and steel cans; plastic bottles and containers, flattened cardboard, shredded paper, and glass.  At last week’s Brenham City Council workshop, Rau said glass would not be accepted for curbside recycling, as when the glass is compacted, it damages the rubber gaskets in the recycling trucks and affects other recyclable materials.  Update @ 5 p.m.: Fisher said, as negotiations stand currently with BIG, city staff are hearing that the carts will be able to accept glass as recyclables.  He reiterated, however, that "everything is on the table" until the council votes on the contracts.

The city will provide each resident two 96-gallon carts, one for sanitation and one for recyclables. The city will no longer provide trash bags, which have been a part of the current sanitation fee.  Residents will be able to purchase whatever size bag they prefer and place them in a secured container until weekly collection.  Residents can purchase city trash bags, available at Brenham City Hall-Utility Billing, for $12 per roll while supplies last.

The council will consider the commercial portion of the contract with BIG at its meeting Thursday.

The full release from the city can be seen below (Courtesy Melinda Gordon, City of Brenham Communications).

City of Brenham’s Proposed Change in Sanitation and Recycling Operations

Brenham’s continued growth has led to significant changes in the needs of the City’s sanitation, recycling, collection, and disposal operations and; therefore, evaluation was needed of the current structure. Over the last 3 years, Frontier Waste has serviced the City of Brenham and commercial customers with dumpsters and 96-gallon cart services. City staff has serviced residential bag pickup for 50+ years.

The reasons for the initial evaluation include the following:

  • The safety and risk of collections increase each year. Rearload collection is one of the most dangerous occupations in the U.S. from distracted driving, to heat and weather-related incidents. The City’s intent is to take a proactive approach to not only protect employees engaging in these activities, but lead the change in moving towards safer operations
  • The lack of personnel willing to ride on the back of the refuse truck and pick up bagged garbage is a significant challenge, even with competitive compensation. Many times, the City is forced to borrow staff from other departments to meet the needs of twice per week pickup service, which then leads to deficits in other departments
  • With the substantial and proposed growth of Brenham, the routes are getting longer and larger, requiring the purchase of a third truck. The City currently runs a two-truck system with two riders on each truck, staffing a third truck is, unfortunately, not feasible
  • Over the last 5 years, the City has been operating a labor-intensive recycle center at an unprofitable level due to the downturn in the recycling market

The evaluation covered both internal and external (outsourcing) options for sanitation operations. During the extensive research and evaluation of the residential cart option, it made sense to offer the curbside recycling option too. This would provide greater convenience to residents as well as increase the recycling tonnages for the City. As research progressed, and with two operations potentially outsourced, the Transfer/Collection Station was added as another outsourced option.

In October 2019, the City solicited a Request for Proposals (RFP) to potentially outsource Sanitation Operations (Commercial, Residential, Recycle Center, and Transfer/Collection Station). Four companies submitted proposals. After evaluating all proposals and taking into consideration all sanitation operations, it was evident the Brannon Industrial Group/BVR Waste and Recycling provided the “best value” to the City of Brenham. And at the December 9, 2019 regular session, City Council authorized city staff to begin formal contract negotiations with Brannon Industrial Group/BVR Waste and Recycling. As with any major change, whether it be within city government or a corporate business, adjustments and tweaks are required along the way. City Council and city management are aware of this and prepared to make modifications, accordingly, that are in the best interest of Brenham and its residents.

Dane Rau, Director of Public Works states, “This proposed change in services was not decided overnight or without researching and evaluating all options. It was also well thought-out how changing services would affect residents with the least financial impact.”

At present, the Brenham City Council is considering a 5-year contract with the Brannon Industrial Group/BVR Waste and Recycling to provide services for residential, commercial, recycling, and disposal operations for Brenham. Commercial services are proposed to transition from Frontier Waste in March 2020 to Brannon Industrial Group/BVR Waste and Recycling and residential services and recycling are proposed for May 2020. Rates are not yet finalized.

Blake Brannon from the Brannon Industrial Group/BVR Waste and Recycling says, “We are a local business ready and willing to partner with the City and its residents to reach a common goal. We acknowledge and respect what the City has worked so hard to build. We intend to help the City refine an already excellent service in a way to ensure residents don’t see costly increases down the road.”

The following information provides a quick glimpse into some of the most common concerns and questions:

Did you know?

  • The garbage and recycling carts weigh just a bit more than a gallon of milk and are on wheels
  • The 96-gallon cart holds approximately 6-7 of the 13-gallon trash bags
  • The Collection Station will remain available to all residents for brush disposal and heavy debris
  • There is an option of a smaller, 65-gallon cart that may be available for senior or disabled citizens

Frequently Asked Questions

  1. How often will trash and recycling be picked up?

Curbside cart trash pickup — once a week

Curbside cart recyclables pickup — every other week

With carts being 96-gallons, this allows for 6-7 of the 13-gallon trash bags. Residents will also have a 96-gallon cart for recyclables. In the evaluation and proposals, twice per week service was an option but the findings did not provide reasonable rates for residents. Research also concluded that when curbside cart recycling is added to the sanitation service, once per week residential trash collection, utilizing 96-gallon carts, is the most efficient and cost- effective service for residents.

  1. Is the Recycle Center closing?

Yes. City residents will no longer have to transport and sort recyclables. They will now be able to place recyclables in their personal curbside cart.

County residents will be able to use the Collection Station at 2009 Old Chappell Hill Rd. for their recycling needs. An annual fee is proposed for this type of service but not yet finalized.

  1. What items are eligible for the residential curbside recycling cart?

Eligible recyclables include:

  • Aluminum, Tin, and Steel Cans
  • Glass (Clear and Brown only)
  • #1 & #2 Plastic Bottles and Containers (no plastic bags)
  •  Mixed & White Paper
  • Magazines
  • Junk Mail
  • Newspapers with inserts
  • Brown Paper Bags
  • Phone Books
  • Flattened Cardboard
  • Shredded Paper (must be bagged in clear plastic bags to prevent windblown litter)
  • Paperboard (cereal, shoe, frozen food boxes, etc.)
  • Wax Coated Drink Cartons
  1. Are employees losing their jobs?

No. All employees from the Sanitation Department/Recycle Center, who chose to interview with BVR Waste and Recycling, will be offered a new position (and may accept or decline at their choosing). City employees and their extensive experience and knowledge in sanitation operations in Brenham are recognized and appreciated by Brannon Industrial Group/BVR Waste and Recycling. Those who chose not to interview will be able to apply for open positions within other City departments.

  1. Will the City still be providing trash bags?

The City will provide each resident two 96-gallon carts, one for sanitation and one for recyclables; therefore, the City will no longer provide trash bags which have been a part of the current sanitation fee. Residents can now purchase whatever size bag they prefer and place them in a secured container until the weekly collection. Storing garbage in the personal container will help reduce smell, windblown litter, animals, and bugs.

Residents may purchase the City trash bags, available at City Hall-Utility Billing for $12.00 per roll, while supplies last.

  1. What if I physically can’t roll my cart to the curb?

The carts are light weight, even when filled with trash; however, if residents are unable to roll either the 96 gallon- or 65 gallon- cart to the curb, eligible citizens will be offered specialty services when: no caregiver or attendant, no capable person in the household, etc. is available.

  1. Will anything change with holiday pickup or my current trash pickup day?

There will be more collection days with Brannon Industrial Group/BVR Waste and Recycling as they have only three holidays when collection does not occur: Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, and New Year’s Day. If your pickup falls on a holiday, then it will be picked up the following day.

Pickup days and zoning are not yet finalized.

Residents are encouraged to contact the City of Brenham (979-337-7200) with any questions or concerns.

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33 Comments

  1. I think these problems are going to get worse as long as the city does not charge these big new developers coming to town an “impact fee”
    Just research on the Internet impact fees for new Braunfels Texas, Lockhart Texas, Houston Texas, Austin Texas, Fort Worth Texas, Waco, Dallas, etc. Etc.

    We need city managers that have experience dealing with a small town experiencing Rapid development

  2. I personally could care less about who collects my trash since both are from Brenham but what I do care about is the fact that there are two people in my household, one is paralyzed on one side and the other has major lung issues. Both are on a VERY limited fixed income. Both are considered totally disabled. Rolling a trash bin up and down a driveway is going to be very difficult for both of us. Neither of us can afford a price increase, it will be a matter of food or medicine or trash, guess which one we will go without if we are forced to pay more?

  3. Attending the city council meeting tomorrow to voice your concerns won’t do any good. The city has their minds made up and despite opposition, will vote to go ahead with this. They don’t listen to the citizens. They never have. Beware! After a couple of months of this new “change” they will convene again, only then it will be how to address the issue of these carts being left at the curb, blowing over, rolling out in the middle of the street causing traffic concerns, lids being left open after the truck has dumped them and they fill up with water, or being so full of trash due to the ONCE a week pickup that the lids wont close and trash will blow out from them. So the next new “change” will be (like what they tried to do in several neighborhoods in CS) is to “fine” residents for not bringing their carts off the street within a several hour time frame after trash has been collected. And what about the residents who live on a hill?? Rolling trash bins, trash bins falling over from unlevel ground, etc… it happens.

      1. To Good Luck, We use these Dump Carts in our Neighborhood Now ( a Country subdivision) I have not seen or heard of any Carts being left out and filing with rain, Our pickup is Once a week and seems to work for everyone we do however have the occasional time a empty cart does blow a bit into the street, But in our neighborhood people stop and move it back to the curb. a regular trash bag is more likely to blow into the street or worse blow into a drainage hole in the curb and block rain runoff. So really either a bag or a cart has its downfall for use.

        1. To cwc, that’s nice for you. You live in a nice country neighborhood where people watch out for each other. That’s not always the case here in town. Having lived in BCS for many years, what I mentioned above happens more often than not. Lids not closing on the carts once they’ve been dumped during a storm and the carts fill with water, happened quite often. I drilled small holes at the bottom of the cart to allow rain water to drain and was fined for “damaging city property”. Just because you haven’t experienced what I’ve mentioned in my previous comment, doesn’t mean it won’t happen. I’ve experienced a lot worse in BCS where this form of trash collecting has been in place for years. After a while, the city began issuing fines to residents who did not pull in the carts from the curb within 5 hours after they have been dumped. Most people work an 8 hour day and do not get home in time to put their carts away. I can see something like this happening in Brenham when the empty carts blow over, roll out in the middle of street, are left at the curb for days, etc… And those fines will be attached to your utility bill. When the carts begin to break down, crack from being in the sun over a period of time, get hit by a car, etc… they will then charge you for a new cart. I had 2 carts damaged by the truck dumping my garbage and I was responsible for purchasing new ones, not the company who ran over the carts because they were in a hurry and weren’t more careful returning the empty cart to the street. Just watch…it’ll happen. Maybe not at first, but it will happen over time. And that’s when the city will start imposing more rules, more laws and more fines on its citizens. I agree something needs be done, but being made to pay more while receiving less is ridiculous. And not truthfully answering questions and concerns from the taxpayers is a little shady.

  4. Although I am a Born and raised Brenham Guy, I did live in College Station for a few years, Before coming back home to Brenham, We had Once a week Garbage pickup and curb recycle. I found that it encouraged more recycling , as it was convenient. As for the statement from MS Bickham ( Quote) “those of us who can’t throw things into one of those dumpsters has to find some one to help us” the dumpsters are the same height as they were at the Recycle center , and the people that work at the Chappell Hill Rd location . have never been Rude to me, In fact once I had a U Haul truck full with items ( from a Rent House cleaning ) needing to be thrown away and a employee helped me remove it off my truck ! I think people seem to be getting angry without really giving this a chance. I notice that every time a “New” Idea comes out or a New Business wants to relocate here to Brenham or a new smaller sized lot subdivision comes in that the same Group of people automatically assume it is a Bad thing, Just because it is NOT the way we have always done. things. Change is inevitable, some times it works, Sometimes it does not. A City had only two options, Grow and keep people wanting to live there in order to Thrive, Or stay stagnant and Die where people ( Especially the young people) cant wait to leave. Give this a chance ask questions and don’t Assume that all change is bad. and at the end of the day This is just about getting rid of your Garbage, There are people in this town that have lots bigger issues than that to deal with in their daily lives. To quote a previous post “Everyone needs to calm down and think about the IMPORTANT things in life. God, health, family, neighbors, friends, serving others “

  5. My parents live in a community that switched to these containers and many people were at first resistant but it has been quite a good switch and even encourages their recycling since it is single sort. Even with five people in their household, they do not have any problem fitting the trash into the container for once a week pickup. And neighbors help those who might have trouble getting their carts to the road (but they would need help with their bags too so no real difference).

    However, they have once a week pickup on BOTH containers. Trash bin collection is Tuesdays and Recycling bin collection is Fridays. The very valid concern I see is COB is proposing every other week on the recycling bin. “Curbside cart trash pickup — once a week; Curbside cart recyclables pickup — every other week” Recycling can very much take up lots of space and I believe only a weekly option would allow for this plan to work without having overflowing recycling and then it would just end up in the trash bin.

    So yes, costs are going up for City residents for the monthly service as you will have to buy your own bags and the monthly fee is going up too. And I don’t know that people would mind if it balanced….but it doesn’t. The one FAQ the city has yet to answer is why with these changes, they will still be at a deficit for years. Why are they not making changes that allow for a balanced budget?

    Finally, for the county residents who wish to continue recycling, the collection station will need to have MAJOR improvements to allow for flow of traffic. As a county resident who uses both the recycling center and collection station regularly, the safety of citizens at the collection station by adding recycling is of great concern. The line just since they have moved the trash to there from the recycling center can sometimes back up onto the street. There is much more debris and trash at the recycling center so nails in tires from roofing shingles or other such debris is a true concern (yes, that has happened to me). And there is no flow of traffic for the amount of recycling containers if they will still need to be sorted. Will it be single sort at the collection station as well? While I am not thrilled with having to pay a fee, it amounts to around $4/month to recycle for the proposed fee. I would pay that but I will not choose to do that if improvements are not made to the collection station for traffic flow and safety.

    I hope someone at the City will finally answer KWHI’s request for answers to these and other valid questions. Not everyone can attend a Thursday afternoon meeting for city council so we really appreciate KWHI helping to get answers to these questions before any agreements are signed. The City of Brenham residents deserve to have answers and a balanced budget.

  6. About that temporary placement agency. I know someone, a senior, with health issues, and obviously female, applied for an open position at the City Library through that placement service. She got a notice that there was a job opening that suited her profile. She thought somebody was making fun of her—because it was for:

    RIDING THE GARBAGE TRUCK AS IT IS CURRENTLY DONE !

    Come to think of it that’s another function that is outsourced.

    Maybe advertising in the Banner Press and KWHIs Country Store would be a better (probably cheaper also) way to get the word out LOCALLY. (You know, local people doing local things). Fayette County Record, Bellville Times, Round Top Register, Waller Times, etc, also? Have we really tried ?
    It does seem that we hire more City Hall “officials” and contract out more and more functions.

  7. So as a county resident I may be charged an annual fee to recycle at the collection station? Will this be only if I use the station or will it be added to my tax bill? If I don’t use the collection station to drop off recycling I surely shouldn’t have to pay for it.

  8. Buy products which are not plastic or which biodegrade. Buy fresh frozen veggies instead of cans. It’s not always a matter of recycling, but making conscious choices when purchasing YOUR food and the packaging it comes in! We only have THIS planet, take care of it. REFUSE, REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE…recycle is last. #StopTheMadness

  9. Rau said glass would not be accepted for curbside recycling, as when the glass is compacted, it damages the rubber gaskets in the recycling trucks and affects other recyclable …

    Then…#3 states:
    Eligible recyclables include:

    Aluminum, Tin, and Steel Cans
    Glass (Clear and Brown only)

  10. I cannot believe the amount of people that are truly upset over this. I for one am very happy an awesome family from BRENHAM will be taking care of this from now on and I have no doubt they will do a fantastic job. Changes are inevitable with a town growing as quickly as Brenham. Everyone needs to calm down and think about the IMPORTANT things in life. God, health, family, neighbors, friends, serving others etc. It seems these days people want to FIND reasons to be mad. Jesus take the wheel. And BIG take our trash. Thank you. That is all. 🙂

    1. Finally, some common sense. BIG take the trash while Jesus helps the Brenham bus get a grip.
      Our town is growing, people, like it or not. You can’t stop it, but you can embrace it. You can recognize that the city is trying to do something because they can no longer handle it themselves. So instead of giving you mediocre, they went out and found the best deal they could. Meanwhile, all I read are complaints because you will have rolling bins on a curb once a week that will hold two weeks worth of trash instead of remembering to put our trash twice per week.
      If the city continued to do the trash, your rates would increase. They need new trucks. Not just one extra to deal with growth, but 3 trucks that can pick up the trash bins that are inevitable because we cannot continue to unsafely and unhealthily employee people to ride on the back of garbage trucks through wind, rain, and 110 degree temps. So whether you want them to handle it or not, you would most certainly see an increase and have rolling bins and go down to one pick up per week WITHOUT recycling.
      Get over yourselves. What you’re mad about is change. What you’re mad about is that you think some big city company is coming to to turn your trash world upside down and make millions. BIG is for you! And the latter is a joke. They are from here! They won’t let this job get out of hand or not serve you well because THEY LIVE HERE!!!
      I have never in my life watched so many grown people complain about a service that is so ridiculous. You want to raise heck? Do it over the schools, do it over drug dealers, do it over the fact that millions of dollars in revenue and hundreds of jobs have been voted down because of your ridiculous complaining about keeping Brenham a small town. We’re not there anymore. Period. And we are going to literally self-implode because, as a whole, we refuse to be open-minded and accept any bit of change. More than half of our population is at or below poverty level. We have more government housing per capita than many other towns our size. Do you know what those hundreds of job could have done for our town? It’s embarrassing. It’s shameful. It’s self-destructive. Brenham will never live up to its potential without change and growth. We will run out all the things that have helped our economy grow.

      1. You are correct, I am upset about THIS change! This is a change we did not ask for, did not need, and is clearly unpopular with a large number of people. The reason is because we like the current way the city serves us currently, we like the garbage bags and don’t like the huge ugly bins. We like the recycling center, and the waste center on Chappell Hill Street. We like the people we work with in the city who handle our waste services, they are kind, polite, and do a good job. This is a case of trying to fix something that is not broken by giving us less service at a higher price. In simple terms, this is a BAD DEAL!

        1. Per my conversation with Mr. Rau: With all do respect, many of your city disposal workers will be keeping their jobs in some aspect with BIG or the city – if they so choose.
          The city is LOSING money by continuing this service. Why else would they need to find someone else to do it? So, it is broken…
          The bags. Oh, the beloved bags. When they break, the city leaves the trash. When a varmint of any kind rips them to shreds and your garbage is spread all over the neighborhood, it is left. And overall, WHO CARES?! Keep your beloved bags in your new bins and keep the garage from smelling up until your brand spanking new garbage truck comes to lift into the air and dump into the garbage truck without any hands or varmints having to touch any of our disgusting trash. This is the way the world around good ol Brenham operates. There are tons of changes coming, y’all. Buckle up. This is just the beginning.

    2. The census will likely show very slow growth in Brenham according to current estimates. Also the public school enrollment is growing very slowly in Brenham. Fast growth has absolutely nothing to do with this misguided decision. Taxpayers get less service, higher bills, and zero accountability from anyone in elected office. You can attest your support but call it what it really is… a privatization giveaway that delivers less service with a higher taxpayer price.

  11. The FAQs are a joke if they don’t include the financial impact on the residential customer. Rates increasing, decreasing, or staying the same (which would be an increase)? This statement, “Storing garbage in the personal container will help reduce smell, windblown litter, animals, and bugs.” also made me laugh since I’ve been in the communities that have weekly pickup. The smell only grows with once a week pickup which attracts the lovely bugs. These things would have to be tight sealed and I highly doubt that is the case.

  12. Country people cannot expect the same services and amenities of city people. You don’t pay city property taxes. Stop whining to city council, whine to the one party commissioners court and the county judge, you voted for them. You use our city parks, etc., and library, aquatic center.

    1. City mouse, We country folks do not expect the same services as the city. However, I do expect the city council to serve the citizens of Brenham well and they are not doing this with this plan. Recycling will only be twice a month (not weekly) and the budget doesn’t balance for years. That is not fiscally responsible. Recycling twice a month is not feasible as it will result in overflowing containers or items put into the trash instead; then people will complain, and they will add a weekly pickup and up the price for ‘more services’.

      We county folks do support the local businesses in Brenham. And yes, the amenities of the City are open to everyone. Did you realize people come from other communities such as Bellville and Round Top to use our parks and libraries? And they also spend money in the town. So it’s a win for everyone if the town has well maintained amenities for everyone to enjoy. But no one is saying we should have trash pickup like the city–after all, I don’t have that now and am not asking for it.

      I will pay a fee to recycle but only if they improve the collection station flow of traffic. It is already bad enough with having trash moved there for county residents. It often backs up onto the street. But adding recycling there now with no better flow of traffic a recipe for disaster and a true safety issue. Improvements to the flow of traffic must be made to the collection station if they move the recycling center.

      The county budget is in way worse shape than the city so doubtful the county would be able to contribute towards anything. They would just up the taxes if they did. So country folks can pay a permit to use the recycling option if they wish but safety and traffic flow need to be addressed by the City with all these changes.

  13. NO MATTER HOW MANY TIMES YOU SAY IT, IT IS STILL THE SAME. THIS CHANGE IS NOT GOING TO HELP THOSE OF US WHO LIVE HERE NOW AND HAVE FOR A LONG TIME.

    IF THIS IS WHAT “GROWTH” IS ABOUT, I FOR ONE DON’T NEED IT. WE WILL “REPOSITION” CURRENT EMPLOYEES, SO WE WON’T SAVE MONEY ON PAYROLL,
    WE’LL JUST PAY MORE AND BE INCONVENIENCED MORE FOR LESS.
    THAT’S WHAT I SAID LAST WEEK.

  14. When new ways of “doing things” are proposed by the city, the reaction is often charged with emotions because the reasoning behind the decision is not spelled out adequately. In addition, the reporting on said issue is sometimes lacking and it seems that it simply is a regurgitation of the cities “press release”. Perhaps, in the future, the city will take note of how to structure a “press release” to preemptively avoid some of the ranker that occurred. In addition, when the city does not provide an adequate FAQ with a major policy change or change in city services our local news organizations will do a bit more digging and ask probing questions to obtain more information for the public.

    1. Trust me…KWHI has been trying to get answers just like everyone else. The “Press Release” was the City’s way of answering not only some of our questions, but also the questions raised in the comments on our website. Since last Friday our News Dept. has been trying to get someone with the City to do an interview about this subject. We are still waiting.

  15. so all county people will have to go to that place on Old Chappell Hill Road???
    You know will happen next. Most won’t do that but will dump their trash on county roads.
    The recycling center in town was a great place for us to sort our stuff before we got to town and in less than a couple of minutes think we were doing something to keep our county clean whenever we went to town. Now you are forcing all the elderly people to go to another place, probably wait in line and then wait for a rude person to take our money,so I have heard, and then those of us who can’t throw things into one of those dumpsters has to find some one to help us. All you thought about was the cost for the city. I can’t understand how the recycling center is losing money when everyone goes in there to help keep our county clean. The bins are always full and I see all the things that have been compacted. It is another case of City makes the decisions and the county suffers. Same as when you entice tourists by fixing up the downtown area but never think about all of us having to go to the courthouse and can’t find parking, same with our lousy post office service. We in the county pay taxes, tourists don’t. We would do more of our shopping locally if we could ever find parking.

    1. Phyllis, regarding “that place on Old Chappell Hill Road” . . . it’s true that you have to wait your turn, but the staff there are usually friendly and always courteous. I’ve been taking my yard waste there for years and have never encountered any rudeness. I doubt if the dumpsters at the OCH landfill will be any higher than they are at the recycling center in town. But if you need help, surely someone else who has been waiting in line there will give you a hand. I will if we’re there at the same time.

  16. Greg Rybarski
    I may have missed it, but, will there be a rate DECREASE, INCREASE, or will it STAY THE SAME? Just curious since we will be serviced only once per week, and, buy our own bags.

    Thanks,
    Greg Rybarski

    1. Greg,
      This was from kwhi last post on this topic.
      “the new BIG rates for residential trash and recycling services will average out to $14 a month, $13 for senior citizens. The rates go up from the city’s rates of $13.75 a month, $11 for senior citizens. The rate will remain the same even if homeowners decide to opt out of recycling and give their recycling carts back to BIG”
      So the ans to your questions rates go up and less service.

      1. So if we decide to opt out and use our business’ dumpster instead, we still have to pay BIG’s monthly rate???

    2. Slight increase, Greg. Not the decrease we should get.
      Hey, COB, so when there is no glass accepted for recycling, you know where it’s going to go? In the trash. How’s that going to be on the gaskets?

    3. If I understand correctly, what we pay to the city is not affording the actual costs of our current services, and finding more/enough workers to ride on the back of trucks is not safe or happening. This new service is slightly more expensive, but better in several ways. I love the curbside recycling!

  17. I have carefully read this article and am frankly offended by how dumb the City of Brenham must think we as citizens are!

    They cite the safety and risk and claim it increases each year. Wrong, the risk has remained exactly the same and safety can increase with better training, hiring and paying for better workers, and creating an environment where safety compliance is enforced.

    The city cites personnel being willing to ride on the back of a truck as a reason to end a city managed service. Welcome to 2020, a time of low unemployment. All employers are facing this challenge. Wages are rising, workers are harder to find; the market is just more competitive. What happens when other departments start to experience trouble hiring? What happened if we can’t hire enough police officers, or office workers, or court employees? Are we going to outsource those as well? The city needs to better manage the tasks they have been entrusted with, not outsource because they lack the ability to find solutions to problems every organization faces right now.

    “With the substantial and proposed growth of Brenham, the routes are getting longer and larger, requiring the purchase of a third truck. The City currently runs a two-truck system with two riders on each truck, staffing a third truck is, unfortunately, not feasible” We are now making decisions based upon “proposed growth”? What exactly is this? Who is proposing the growth? Basically what they are saying is that the city is making decisions based upon a projection that may or may not come true. Since when do we make financial decisions about an “unknown”? This is ridiculous.

    Lastly they mention the recycling center being unprofitable? Really, don’t you think we as citizens now that is already “baked into the pie’? In the total utility budget of the city, the profit loss is a very very small percentage of the overall revenue. This is a silly statement and needs to be called out.

    Now we a reading that we have to keep and maintain TWO of these ugly smelly eye sores they are referring to as carts. They are huge, will stink beyond belief after a week, we must find somewhere to store them. I don’t want these giant stinky carts on my property! I don’t understand why the city did not bother to survey the population before trying to pursue this venture. It is obviously hugely unpopular. If my council person votes for this, I will not be voting for them at the next election?

    I have also seen nothing about what we are supposed to do with leaves and other yard waste. Am I supposed to fill my carts with this? I hope not! This is very important service that is heavily utilized by the citizens of Brenham. What is the answer to this?

    It is obvious that many citizens oppose this change that appears to entirely driven by city staff who are simply tired of dealing with garbage collection. I say this to them, that is why WE HIRED YOU! If the city decides to outsource this service, that would seem to require less management, what high levels positions will be cut, how much money will we save, and who other than the poorly paid garbage workers will be at risk of losing jobs, benefits, tenure, and retirement plans. Does BIG offer as good or better benefits to the displaced city workers? Will BIG give them the same level of benefits and seniority they current have with the city including earned vacation and sick time?

    So far, the ONLY people who appear to benefit are BIG and a small group of managers in the city. Citizens, it is time to stand up and say NO, we are not going to accept this!

    1. I completely agree with this post by Completely Unacceptable. You are exactly correct. This is Completely Unacceptable.
      City of Brenham and City Council Members: Are you reading and listening to your constituents?
      People of Brenham: Please attend the City Council meeting this Thursday, February 20th at 1:00 PM and speak your mind, let your voice be heard. This is completely unacceptable.

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