[a. Receive an update on the transition with Best Trash, LLC, for the Annual Residential Solid Waste Collection, Disposal, and Recycling Services Contract.]
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WITH BEST TRASH, LLC FOR THE ANNUAL, UH, RE RESIDENTIAL SOLID WASTE COLLECTION, DISPOSAL AND RECYCLING SERVICES CONTRACT.
GOOD EVENING, UH, MAYOR AND COUNCIL.
WE WANTED TO GIVE YOU A, UH, UPDATE ON OUR TRANSITION FROM, UH, WASTE MANAGEMENT TO BEST TRASH FOR OUR SOLID WASTE COLLECTION.
SO, UH, JUST TO REMIND YOU, WE, UH, STARTED A NEW CONTRACT WITH, UH, BEST TRASH ON DECEMBER 1ST OF LAST YEAR.
AND AS PART OF THAT TRANSITION, WE HAD, UH, BEST TRASH START DELIVERING, UH, THE, UH, CARTS TO RESIDENTS ON, UH, NOVEMBER 16TH.
THAT, UH, PROCESS WAS COMPLETED BY NOVEMBER 29TH, AND THE SERVICE DID START ON DECEMBER 1ST AS PLANNED.
UM, AS PART OF THAT TRANSITION, YOU KNOW, WASTE MANAGEMENT HAD, UH, THEIR OLD RECYCLING CARTS THAT THEY HAD TO REMOVE FROM THE CITY.
AND SO, UM, WE HAD THEM START REMOVING THEIR CARTS ON DECEMBER 1ST.
WE HAD AN AGREED UPON COMPLETION DATE OF, UH, DECEMBER 9TH TO REMOVE THOSE.
UM, THEY DID NOT, UH, COMPLETE THAT BY DECEMBER 9TH.
SO THE CITY STARTED COLLECTING, UH, THE, THE CARTS THAT WERE REMAINING ON DECEMBER 10TH, AND WE PICKED UP APPROXIMATELY, UH, 1000 WASTE MANAGEMENT, UH, CARTS.
UM, WHEN I PRODUCED THESE SLIDES, WE STILL HAD 400 CARTS AT OUR, UH, EAST DISTRICT WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANT.
SINCE THAT TIME, WASTE MANAGEMENT HAS PICKED UP ALL OF THEIR CARTS, SO WE DO NOT HAVE ANY MORE CARTS AT OUR FACILITY, AND YOU CAN STOP ME ANYTIME DURING THIS, IF YOU OKAY.
UM, OUR, UH, PUBLIC AFFAIRS DID A LOT OF, UM, COMMUNICATING WITH THE PUBLIC.
UH, HERE'S A LIST OF SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE DID, UH, UH, WITH THE PUBLIC.
UM, LIKE I SAID, THERE'S A LOT OF, UH, THINGS ON SOCIAL MEDIA.
UH, WE HAD SOME ACTUAL CARTS PUT OUT AT VARIOUS, UH, CITY LOCATIONS, YOU KNOW, COMMUNITY CENTER, LIBRARY, AND, UH, DISPLAYS, RESIDENT MAILERS.
WE ACTUALLY, UM, MAILED A, UM, A FLYER TO EACH, UH, HOME WITHIN BAYTOWN.
AND, UM, WE HAVE A COPY OF THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, TRANSITION, UH, FLYER THAT WAS SENT OUT TO ALL THE RESIDENCES, UM, THAT WAS ALSO REVIEWED AT, UM, CITY COUNCIL MEETING, UH, DURING THE, UH, CONTRACT AWARD.
IN LOOKING AT, YOU KNOW, THE SERVICE REQUESTS THAT HAVE OCCURRED DURING THE TRANSITION, UM, IT WAS WHAT WE WOULD CALL, UM, AN EXPECTED LEVEL OF, UM, YOU KNOW, SERVICE REQUEST.
THERE YOU CAN SEE, UH, THIS IS KIND OF WEEK BY WEEK HOW, HOW WE GOT RE SERVICE REQUESTS.
YOU CAN SEE THE FIRST THREE WEEKS IT WAS A LITTLE, UH, HIGHER LEVEL AND THEN, UH, THAT KIND OF DIED OFF TO SOMETHING WE WOULD CONSIDER TO BE A MORE NORMAL LEVEL.
AND JUST LOOKING AT THE TYPE OF REQUESTS THAT WE GOT, UM, MOST OF THEM WERE WHAT WE CALL, UH, MISSED, MISSED SERVICE WHERE IT'S EITHER MISSED GARBAGE, UH, MIS RECYCLING OR, UH, SOME OTHER ISSUES THAT I'LL GO THROUGH HERE IN A MINUTE.
UM, KIND OF A SUMMARY OF SOME OF THE THINGS THAT HAPPENED DURING THAT, UH, TRANSITION.
THERE WAS INITIALLY SOME CONFUSION ON, UH, PART OF THE RESIDENCE AS TO WHICH CART THEY NEED TO USE.
UM, THERE WAS OF COURSE, UH, PUBLIC WORKS HELPED WITH SOME, UH, EDUCATION OF THAT, ALTHOUGH RE SINCE THEY HAD TWO CARTS NOW, OR, UH, CART FOR TRASH AND A CART FOR RECYCLING.
UM, AND THEN THERE WAS ALSO CONFUSION ABOUT WHETHER THEY COULD USE, UH, LARGER CONTAINERS SUCH AS 95 GALLON CONTAINERS.
AND THAT WAS PROBABLY A LOT OF THE CONFUSION.
UH, THOSE WERE NOT ALLOWED UNDER THE CONTRACT.
UM, MOST OF THE, UH, UH, MISSED GARBAGE SERVICE OR RECYCLING WAS DUE TO, UM, NOT TRASH OR RECYCLING NOT BEING PUT OUT ON TIME.
SO, UM, BEST TRASH KIND OF DIFFERED IN THEIR, UH, SERVICE APPROACH.
THEY, UH, UNDER THEIR CONTRACT, THEY'RE ALLOWED TO START AT 7:00 AM AND SO THEY START VERY PROMPTLY AT 7:00 AM AND SO A LOT OF CUSTOMERS WERE NOT USED TO PUTTING OUT THEIR TRASH BY SEVEN.
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AND SO YOU GET A LOT OF, UH, MISSED, UH, SERVICE THAT WAY BECAUSE THEY HAVEN'T HAD TO PUT IT OUT THAT EARLY.AND SO THIS HAS ALSO BEEN AN EDUCATION PROCESS.
AND, UM, SO THERE HAS BEEN IMPROVEMENT IN THIS, THIS AREA.
UM, THERE WAS ALSO SOME ISSUES WITH, UH, THERE ARE SOME SENIOR CITIZENS AND, UH, DISABLED, UH, RESIDENTS WHO ARE NOT PHYSICALLY ABLE TO MOVE THE CART OUT TO THE CURB.
UH, THIS IS CALLED A VALET SERVICE, WHERE THE, UH, UH, SERVICE PROVIDER WILL GO TO THE DOORSTEP AND COLLECT THE, THE CAN.
UM, WE HAD ASKED FOR A LIST OF THOSE FROM WASTE MANAGEMENT AND THEY DIDN'T, DIDN'T PROVIDE THE LIST.
SO WE'VE HAD TO BUILD THAT LIST AS WE WENT.
SO SOME OF THE OTHER, UH, SERVICE REQUESTS WE'VE HAD, SOME OF THE INITIAL, UH, CARTS THAT WERE DELIVERED WERE BROKEN OR WEREN'T PUT TOGETHER QUITE RIGHT.
SO SOME OF THE WHEELS WERE, YOU KNOW, NOT ON CORRECTLY AND, AND WE NEEDED TO, YOU KNOW, CORRECT THOSE.
UM, THERE WAS, UM, SOME GARBAGE CANS THAT WERE NOT DELIVERED INITIALLY BECAUSE OUR MAPS WERE NOT COMPLETELY ACCURATE ON WHO WE NEEDED TO SERVICE.
THERE WERE SOME, YOU KNOW, RIGHT OUTSIDE IN THE ETJ THAT WE DIDN'T HAVE THAT WE HAD IT TO, WE HAD TO SERVICE.
SO, UH, THAT WAS JUST A MATTER OF, UH, GETTING OUR MAPS CORRECTED.
UM, AND THEN THERE WAS, AS I MENTIONED, PEOPLE WHO WERE STILL USING 95 GALLON CONTAINERS, UM, BEST TRASH, KIND OF ALLOWED SOME LEEWAY IN THE FIRST COUPLE OF WEEKS, AND THEN, AND, AND THEY TAGGED THOSE CANS SAID THEY WERE NOT ALLOWED FOR USE.
AND SO AFTER THE FIRST COUPLE WEEKS THEY STOPPED EMPTYING THOSE.
UM, SO, UM, WHERE WE'RE AT NOW IS THAT, UH, CITY STAFF AND BEST TRASH CONTINUE TO MEET ON A WEEKLY BASIS.
UH, WE FEEL LIKE, YOU KNOW, THE ISSUES ARE HAVE, YOU KNOW, UH, LARGELY BEEN RESOLVED AND, UH, THE TRANSITION HAS BEEN, UH, FAIRLY SMOOTH AND SUCCESSFUL.
UM, I HAVE SOME NUMBERS HERE, UH, FOR THOSE, UH, COUNCIL MEMBERS WHO GET, YOU KNOW, CALLS FROM RESIDENTS, UH, AND, AND THEY CAN CONTACT, UH, PUBLIC WORKS AT, UH, 2 8 1 4 2 0 5300.
I ALSO HAVE, UH, BEST TRASH DIRECT NUMBER ON THERE.
AND, UM, THAT'S REALLY ALL I HAVE.
I'M OPEN TO QUESTIONS AND I HAVE, UH, KEVIN HARVILLE, MY ASSISTANT DIRECTOR FOR OPERATIONS AND, UH, KP MY, UH, FOREMAN FOR, UH, SOLID WASTE.
ANY, ANY QUESTIONS, COUNSEL? YES, SIR.
UM, FRANK, I, I THINK YOU GUYS DID A GREAT JOB ON THE TRANSITION.
I GOT A, A FEW CALLS, ONE OF THE CALLS I GOT WAS, MAN, THEY PICK IT UP AT SEVEN O'CLOCK.
AND, AND SOME OF THAT ARGUMENT WAS, AND, AND I'M NOT GONNA GET UP AT FIVE O'CLOCK TO PUT MY TRASH CANS OUT AND IT'S COME, WE'LL PUT 'EM OUT THE NIGHT BEFORE.
AND THERE'S A MISCONCEPTION OUT THERE THAT A LOT OF OUR CITIZENS THAT I TALKED TO SAYS, WELL, THE ORDINANCE SAYS WE CAN'T PUT 'EM OUT THE NIGHT BEFORE.
I SAID, NO, THAT'S NOT WHAT THE ORDINANCE SAYS.
SO I'VE ENCOURAGED NOT AN ORDINANCE, I, I, I WAS, UM, MAYBE ADVISED THAT SOME OF THE HOAS MAY HAVE SOME RULES.
THEY, ACCORDING TO THAT, BUT I'M ENCOURAGED THEM GONNA AGAIN, 'CAUSE BEST TRASH IS OUT THERE SEVEN O'CLOCK IN THE MORNING.
THEY'RE, THEY'RE VERY, PUT IT OUT THE NIGHT BEFORE AND THEY'LL GET IT AND STUFF LIKE THAT.
BUT I THINK OVERALL THE TRANSITION WAS PRETTY GOOD.
THE FIRST COUPLE OF WEEKS WAS A LITTLE CHAOTIC, BUT RIGHT.
AND I APPRECIATE FRANK COMING OUT TO TALK TO WEST ASSOCIATION AND UM, THEY ONLY HAD JUST MINOR ISSUES TO REPORT.
UM, BUT OVERALL I THINK THEY UNDERSTOOD THE PROCESS AND, UM, WE DIDN'T HAVE THE BEST TRASH NUMBER AT THE TIME, BUT I'LL MAKE SURE I GIVE THEM TO THEM.
UM, BUT JUST APPRECIATE YOU COMING OUT AND ALRIGHT.
WE'LL BE SCHEDULING YOU FOR OTHERS AS WELL.
UM, I RECEIVED COMMENTS THAT THE MAP WASN'T VERY LEGIBLE, SO I HAD TO ASSIST A FEW INDIVIDUALS WHO COULDN'T READ THE MAP THEMSELVES.
IT, IT, IT WAS KIND OF INTENDED TO, TO GIVE KIND OF A GLOBAL PICTURE, NOT TO REALLY DRILL DOWN TO A STREET LEVEL.
SO IT, IT WAS INTENDED TO, YOU KNOW, BE ABLE TO LOOK AT THE DIVIDING LINE AND SEE IF YOU WERE SAY NORTH OF, YOU KNOW, SORRY, NORTH OF YOU KNOW, UH, ROLAND BROOK OR, OR OR BAKER AND BE ABLE TO DETERMINE WHERE YOU'RE AT THAT WAY.
AND THEN, UM, A COUPLE MISSED PICKUPS MAINLY IN THE ALLEN BROOK NEIGHBORHOOD, UM, WHICH YOU GAVE ME THE PHONE NUMBERS, WHICH I PASSED ON, BUT I DON'T THINK RESIDENTS KNOW WHO TO CONTACT.
SO THERE MIGHT BE AN OPPORTUNITY TO JUST PUBLICIZE
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THAT.'CAUSE BY THE TIME THEY CALL ME AND THEN I TELL YOU AND THEN YOU TELL BEST TRASH KIND OF THE OPPORTUNITY TO IMPROVE IS LOSS.
SO IF THEY JUST HAD A DIRECT, THEY JUST DON'T KNOW WHO TO CALL.
AND THEN WE, WE REALLY PREFER THEY CALL PUBLIC WORKS AT THE SO YOU CAN TRACK IT MAIN NUMBER YES, MA'AM.
AND THEN, UM, YOU KNOW, THE AREA I LIVE IN WAS THE, UM, THE INVOLUNTARILY ANNEXED AREA.
AND SO A LOT OF PEOPLE INCLUDING MYSELF, AREN'T ON THE CITY UTILITIES, WHICH INCLUDES TRASH, BUT WE ALL GOT DELIVERED BEST TRASH CANS ANYWAYS.
SO IF YOU HAVE ADVICE ON HOW WE CAN RETURN THOSE, JUST LET ME KNOW.
I'M KNOW A PERSON WHO CAN GET THOSE.
ANY ADDITIONAL COMMENTS? I'LL JUST SAY THAT, I MEAN, OVERALL IT'S, IT IS BEEN, I GUESS QUIET.
I HAVEN'T REALLY HAD MUCH FEEDBACK AT ALL.
UM, WHICH I, I TAKE IS A GOOD THING.
I'M SURE IF, IF PEOPLE HAD UM, YOU KNOW, ISSUES, I WOULD HEAR FROM 'EM.
REALLY THE ONLY COUPLE COMPLAINTS I'VE HAD WERE JUST, I BOUGHT A NINE SIX GALLON CANNON AND I CAN'T USE IT ANYMORE.
UM, AND SO I JUST HAVE TO EXPLAIN TO 'EM THE OPTIONS WE HAD.
I HAVE ONE TOO THAT I, I SAY LOOK, I HAVE ONE TOO THAT I CAN'T USE ANYMORE.
BUT OTHER THAN THAT, IT'S, IT'S BEEN POSITIVE.
UH, MY, MY COMMENT ON IT IS, UM, OTHER THAN, YOU KNOW, MAYBE THE FIRST WEEK OR TWO, I MEAN REALLY IT WAS PROBABLY THE WORST WEEK WE CAN PICK TO TRANSITION INTO A, A NEW CITYWIDE CONTRACTOR.
AND SO THE EXPECTATION OF ZERO HICCUPS IS PROBABLY UNREALISTIC, BUT FOR THE MOST PART, UM, AS YOU SAID, PROBABLY MAJORITY OF FOLKS WERE NOT USED TO, OR THEY, THEY THOUGHT THEY WERE PREVENTED FROM PUTTING TRASH OUT AT SEVEN OR BEFORE.
AND SO MYSELF INCLUDED IN A SENSE WHERE YOU GOTTA GET YOUR TRASH OUT BY SEVEN 'CAUSE THEY, THEY COME THROUGH AND, AND REALLY THEY'VE DONE A GREAT JOB.
IN FACT, THIS MORNING THEY WAVED AT ME AND YOU KNOW, HERE YOU GO, HERE'S YOUR TRASH.
I WAS, I WAS LIKE, HERE, HERE, HERE'S THE RECEPTACLE.
SO THEY'RE HARD TO BE 'CAUSE THEY, THEY MOVE QUICK.
UH, BUT OTHER THAN THAT I REALLY CITYWIDE, I HAVEN'T HEARD MANY, MANY, MANY HICCUPS OTHER THAN WHAT WAS I WAS CC'D ON FROM OTHER INDIVIDUALS.
AND I THINK THAT WAS JUST DUE TO THE 7:00 AM PICKUP START TIME.
BUT OTHER THAN THAT, I, AT THIS POINT, I, I DON'T, I HAVEN'T HEARD OF ANY COMPLAINTS IN A SENSE NOW THAT THE DUST HAS SETTLED.
SO WITH THAT, YOU KNOW, WE'LL JUST, WE'LL CONTINUE TO KIND OF MEASURE FROM THIS POINT ON, UM, AS FAR AS I THINK SOME OF THE COMPLAINTS OF ANY, ANY TRASH THAT REMAINS IN THE RECEPTACLE AND STUFF, BUT I HAVEN'T HEARD ANYTHING.
SO WITH THAT WE'LL JUST KIND OF MOVE PAST TRANSITION I THINK.
UH, I DO WANT THANK UH, STAFF FOR THEIR HARD WORK DURING THIS PROCESS.
UM, THEY'VE BEEN VERY RESPONSIVE AND UM, WORKED VERY HARD TO MAKE IT SUCCESSFUL.
WITH THAT, UNLESS THERE'S ANY OTHER QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS, THEN IF NOT, WELL STAFF, MAYOR AND COUNCIL, I THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME AND FRANK THANK YOU.
STAFF AND PUBLIC AFFAIRS THANK YOU AS WELL.
UH, THE INTENT HERE IS THAT AS WE CONTINUE TO IMPLEMENT NEW PROJECTS THROUGHOUT THE CITY TO GIVE COUNCIL A CHANCE AND STAFF A CHANCE TO HAVE INTERACTION ON IMPLEMENTATION GOING FORWARD WITH BIG PROJECTS, GOOD, BAD, OR INDIFFERENT.
THE INTENT IS JUST TO HAVE OPEN DISCUSSIONS AND IF WE'RE MISSING SOMETHING, UH, THIS IS A GREAT CHANCE FOR US TO TALK ABOUT IT IN PUBLIC.
WELL, BEING THAT THE BAYTOWN CITY COUNCIL HAS ADDRESSED ALL POSTED AGENDA ITEMS, THIS WORK SESSION IS NOW ADJOURNED.