Council previews options on residential waste contract after low bid at $21/month; staff to place incumbent and low-bid options on next agenda
March 16, 2026 | Woodstock City, Cherokee County, Georgia
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Mr. Moon briefed the mayor and council on the city's residential solid-waste RFP process and recommended the council place the two primary options on the next action agenda.
Moon said the current Waste Management contract expires June 30 and that Red Oak Sanitation is the apparent low bidder at roughly $21 per month; the incumbent Waste Management bid approximately $25.95 per month. He summarized four possible approaches:
1) Award to the apparent low bidder (Red Oak) to capture lower monthly rates but accept transition logistics (cart delivery, account transitions and potential service ramp issues). Moon said staff checked references and spoke with comparable customers.
2) Award to the incumbent (Waste Management) to avoid transition risks; the incumbent has local responsiveness and established service relationships but at a higher price.
3) Create an open franchise system with service zones and minimum standards, which could preserve choice but may raise rates because volume discounts would be lost and increase city operational responsibilities.
4) Move to a fully open market (county-style) — Moon described this as "Wild Wild West," likely to increase resident rates and city oversight costs.
Moon recommended placing options 1 and 2 on the next (Monday) agenda for council action, and he flagged follow-up items staff would confirm: whether Red Oak includes bulk pickup and yard-waste terms consistent with the incumbent, where Red Oak would take collected waste (transfer-station arrangements), cart-delivery and storage logistics, and technology/driver-safety features.
Council members pressed practical concerns: service continuity during a vendor transition, whether yard waste must fit inside carts (a clause in Red Oak's bid suggested that limitation), bulk-item and event roll-off coverage, whether the low bidder would store and stage trucks locally, and the relative safety and street-wear impacts of multiple vendors operating in the same neighborhoods. Several councilmembers said they preferred limiting the agenda to options 1 and 2; the majority agreed and staff planned to do so.
No contract award was made at the work session; staff will bring the vetted options and finalized contract terms to the council action agenda.
Moon said the current Waste Management contract expires June 30 and that Red Oak Sanitation is the apparent low bidder at roughly $21 per month; the incumbent Waste Management bid approximately $25.95 per month. He summarized four possible approaches:
1) Award to the apparent low bidder (Red Oak) to capture lower monthly rates but accept transition logistics (cart delivery, account transitions and potential service ramp issues). Moon said staff checked references and spoke with comparable customers.
2) Award to the incumbent (Waste Management) to avoid transition risks; the incumbent has local responsiveness and established service relationships but at a higher price.
3) Create an open franchise system with service zones and minimum standards, which could preserve choice but may raise rates because volume discounts would be lost and increase city operational responsibilities.
4) Move to a fully open market (county-style) — Moon described this as "Wild Wild West," likely to increase resident rates and city oversight costs.
Moon recommended placing options 1 and 2 on the next (Monday) agenda for council action, and he flagged follow-up items staff would confirm: whether Red Oak includes bulk pickup and yard-waste terms consistent with the incumbent, where Red Oak would take collected waste (transfer-station arrangements), cart-delivery and storage logistics, and technology/driver-safety features.
Council members pressed practical concerns: service continuity during a vendor transition, whether yard waste must fit inside carts (a clause in Red Oak's bid suggested that limitation), bulk-item and event roll-off coverage, whether the low bidder would store and stage trucks locally, and the relative safety and street-wear impacts of multiple vendors operating in the same neighborhoods. Several councilmembers said they preferred limiting the agenda to options 1 and 2; the majority agreed and staff planned to do so.
No contract award was made at the work session; staff will bring the vetted options and finalized contract terms to the council action agenda.
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