Terrell staff weigh polycart options after pilot; council asks for more analysis

City staff briefed council on a pilot program that tested 65/96‑gallon polycarts in one neighborhood and presented three service options: keep the current twice‑weekly manual pickup, switch to a citywide polycart once‑weekly service, or move to polycart twice weekly. The pilot reached about 95% compliance on rollout, but several residents requested extra carts and the pilot identified overflow concerns for larger households.

Mark Mills told council the one‑week polycart proposal would increase the average residential rate modestly (from about $15.22 to $16.18 per month in the city’s table), while a twice‑weekly polycart service would raise per‑household rates to roughly $23.70 (an estimated ~55% increase). Mills said additional carts would be available to households for a monthly fee.

Council discussed tradeoffs: polycarts reduce loose trash and animal‑scavenged overflow, and automated collection can be kinder to street infrastructure because heavy trucks operate less frequently, but the higher per‑household cost is a concern. Several councilmembers asked staff to gather comparative pricing and service models from nearby municipalities and to return in December with options including seeking competitive bids (RFP) for future franchise services.

What’s next: Staff will compile comparative rates from peer cities, refine cost estimates and present return options at the Dec. 2 meeting; council asked staff to explore an RFP strategy and negotiate possible contract terms that include service performance incentives and penalties.