City staff outlines options to limit alley damage from multiple trash haulers: franchise fees, organized collection or municipal service

City staff presented the commission with a range of options for addressing the wear and tear heavy trash trucks cause on streets and alleys and for managing residential and commercial refuse service. The presentation noted that multiple private haulers routing the same streets can multiply the pavement stress and that large garbage trucks can be substantially heavier than typical passenger vehicles.

Staff described three principal approaches: (1) negotiate voluntary franchise agreements with haulers (similar to utility franchises) that would typically collect a franchise fee (staff cited a range of about 3–6% in other municipalities); (2) pursue an Organized Collection Service (OCS) process that provides an 18-month public-notice path that can lead to a single-hauler contract or city-defined quadrants for exclusive service; or (3) contract out or expand municipal collection to comprise residential service while leaving commercial hauling to private vendors.

Staff noted legal and political considerations: franchise agreements require stakeholder buy-in; the OCS approach provides a structured public process with stakeholder workshops and greater legal defensibility but takes about 18 months to implement (the city of Merriam’s recent timeline was cited as an example). Commissioners asked technical and operational questions about truck weights, alley usage, service reliability and the potential cost and staffing impact of the city scaling up collection. The presentation noted that the city has historically moved some enterprise-fund revenue into the general fund to help pay for alley and pavement repairs related to refuse collection.

No ordinance was introduced or adopted at the meeting. Staff said they will survey other cities for franchise-fee percentages, run financial models comparing approaches, and prepare an RFP/RFQ if commissioners direct further action. Staff recommended either pursuing voluntary franchise agreements with willing haulers or starting the OCS public-notice process as the most legally sound paths forward.