It was 2013. I had started this local Fishers news blog the year before. We were a town then and the town council looked into a city-wide trash collection contract. Councilor David George was the one behind the idea, believing such an arrangement would save residents and Homeowners Associations (HOAs) money.
So, the town went through the process outlined in state law. A request for proposals was issued and the bids were submitted. Republic was the lowest bidder, at just under $10 a month (if my memory serves me correctly).
Then there was a public hearing. I was out of town and could not attend. My good friend Scott Fulton covered that meeting foe mw and it was clear most residents choosing to speak then were against the whole idea of a city-wide trash contract. Some were satisfied with the service they had and others saw no reason for the town to get involved. So, the Town of Fishers in 2013 dropped the whole idea.
City Councilors Pete Peterson and John Weingardt were also on the town council in 2013 and the current mayor, Scott Fadness, was town manager at the time. They all said that trash proposal in 2013 was the most contentious issue they had ever handled on town or city government.
That is the reason Fishers never revisited the city-wide trash collection contract again. However, in 2024, things have changed.
In 2013, there were several trash collection firms operating in Fishers. Today, 2 companies, Republic and Waste Management, have most of the contracts. Another firm, Priority, does have a small presence in Fishers, based on a presentation from the mayor’s Chief of Staff Jordin Alexander.
Alexander made her presentation at the January City Council meeting. For more on that, read my previous story at this link.
Any city contract would include a number of elements, according to Alexander. They would include:
–a 5 year term
–Weekly Collection of Solid Waste & Yard Waste
–Bi-Weekly Curbside Recycling
–2 96 Gallon Containers for Solid (65 Gallon Option at Request of Resident)
–1 96 Gallon Container for Recycling
–Leaf/ Landscaping Waste Pick Up:During the months of April, May and October 15th to December 15th, each household is allowed 20 extra bags or bundles per week of landscape waste
–Special Needs Service: For those individuals that are physically unable to wheel trash carts to the curb
The city could consider some additional aspects of any contract, such as:
• Bulky Item Pickup: Collection of Multiple Bulky Items (residents would request and pay through the contractor)
• Option to Extend to 6-7 Year
• Option to Increase to Weekly Recycling
• Christmas Tree Collection: December 26th – January 31st
Our nearby communities of Carmel, Noblesville and Westfield all have city-wide contracts for trash collection. Mayor Scott Fadness insists he does not want to create a city trash collection service, but is open to contracting with a private firm.
In the past, HOAs have been able to get deals with trash collection operations. My HOA had the annual meeting a few weeks ago and our trash collection contract is set to increase 35-40%. Other HOAs are seeing the same thing.
It is clear Fishers is taking the first steps toward a request for proposals (RFP) and see what bids are submitted. Fishers is a different place now compared to 2013 and the trash collection scene is much different now.
Let’s see how this process moves forward in 2024.
Has there been any discussion how this will be billed out?
Would it be added to the sewage bill, an adjustment to property taxes, or would things continue under the service provider’s own systems? Has there been any detail given on how the yard waste service would work? (example: Noblesville’s residents can just rake to the curb and when the service is in effect a truck just sucks up stuff on a scheduled day of week)
Personally, when Waste Management screwed up all levels of service, I reached out to the corporate office to request a response from the CEO’s office. I was treated fairly. I was given specific details as to what was happening and why. I asked straight forward questions and received straight forward answers. The people I spoke to were able to give me fairly reasonable milestones they were intending to follow. They pretty much did exactly what they said they would and called several times to validate that things were getting better. (They have…at least for me)
One thing I hesitated to do: I did not demand any level of compensation (as several of my contacts had told me they’d done). I simply wanted to know when and how things were going to be fixed. I got that… And 6 months in, I saw a credit appear on my statement — When I called to inquire about that, the CSR told me the note with the credit stated “patience reward.” I was tickled that someone took the time for both credit and note.
More details will be known once the request for proposals (RFP) is issued by the city, which will include what the city wants to see in any trash collection bids. We will know even more once the bids are received. Many of the details you cover will be related to all that.
Your story of contacting the Waste Management headquarters is very interesting. If others are frustrated in dealing with a large firm like that, take note.