Cold Water council authorizes bidding for refuse, recycling and optional yard‑waste service

The Cold Water City Council authorized staff on March 9 to rebid the city's refuse, recycling and large‑item collection contract following the expiration of the existing agreement with Republic Services.

City manager Keith Baker said the contract is typically a large monthly expenditure (he referenced about $60,000 per month) and recommended soliciting bids for a three‑year base term with two optional three‑year renewals. The council adopted resolution 2621 to authorize advertising and public bidding for the service.

Council also asked staff to include yard‑waste (paper bag) collection as an optional add‑on in the bid so council can evaluate whether to contract that service rather than have the city provide it directly. Staff said some contractors offer yard‑waste as part of collection packages while others price it as an additional service.

Next steps: staff will publish the RFP, accept bids and return results to council for evaluation and award in April.