Stability for waste collection in the Town of Essex.
At Monday's special council meeting, councillors voted in favour of awarding a Request for Proposal for municipal waste collection services to GFL Environmental Inc. for an eight-year period starting on May 2, and ending on May 1, 2032, with an option to extend for two more years pending acceptable performance.
The RFP was posted in February, and closed in early April.
GFL held the previous contract, which was set to expire at the end of the month.
The estimated yearly cost of the contract is just shy of $1.4 million.
GFL has cited significant increases in their operating costs specifically fuel, capital, and wage costs as the basis for the substantial increase in the value of the contract compared to the previous deal.
In the report to council, administration noted they met with GFL in April to negotiate a better price and GFL was amendable for cost savings if council went with the eight-year term.
There was also a question of whether council would stick with weekly pick ups of waste, or move to biweekly.
A town-wide questionnare went out in April, where residents responded 52% in favour of remaining with weekly versus 48% chose the biweekly option.
Essex will be included in the mandatory new organics program come 2025, with a weekly pick up of organics through the Essex Windsor Solid Waste Authority, which will change the landscape of waste collection.
Administration recommended that the town remain with weekly collection through at least December 2024 to avoid any drastic changes to service and allow the time for more feedback.
That's ultimately what council voted in favour of.
Chief administrative officer Doug Sweet says there will be time to look at a move to biweekly closer to the rollout of the organics program.
"We have every intention to do our due diligence, as we get more information for organics and that, to go out for more public consultation. Just in case once we have a better feel for how organics is working. Because it could change, that's why it was important to at least have the option of six months where we can switch if we have to. But it's something probably in a year or so we will have to do public consultation," he said.
Deputy mayor Rob Shepley says he's not really worried about a potential switch to biweekly, but believes it's better to look at the option closer to organic collection being introduced.
"We've been hearing great things at EWSWA about how biweekly will be perfect once we're in full swing of organics. I've spoken to some friends in the Toronto area and they said once you're used to it, it does work. We need to have a bit of an overlap of organics and garbage I think, just to help residents see that would be the case when the time comes to switch to biweekly."
Mayor Sherry Bondy says they had to make a decision on a new waste collection contract, but changing pick ups can only happen after proper consultation.
"In terms of weekly or biweekly, there'll be no sudden moves on that. I think if we ever were to move to biweekly we would make sure that we're doing public consultation and make sure that organics is up and running," she said.
For the 2024 budget, the increase in garbage collection leaves an unfunded amount of $191,849, which equates to an approximate increase of $32 dollars per household for 2024.
Officials say the increase will appear on residents' final tax instalment.
More information will also follow in regards to the cost of organics and how town officials will be collecting feedback on potential service level changes.