ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Saturday, August 17, 1996 TAG: 9608190055
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DAN CASEY STAFF WRITER
In an apparent victory for trash hauler Browning-Ferris Industries, the city has postponed buying new garbage trucks and will allow bids from private trash haulers on residential garbage collection.
Council was expected to appropriate funding to buy automated, one-armed-bandit-style trash trucks during Monday's afternoon meeting. But after a quick telephone poll of council members late in July, City Manager Bob Herbert pulled the item off Monday's agenda.
The move delays any definitive action on residential trash collection for at least three months while the city weighs various options. In the meantime, the city will invite proposals from private trash haulers to assume up to 100 percent of Roanoke's residential trash service.
The action also represents a complete about-face from council's decision in May. During budget deliberations, council by a 5-2 vote rejected pleas to request proposals from BFI and decided instead to keep the business within city government but move toward automation, which would save $700,000 annually.
BFI has waged an advertising and lobbying blitz to persuade the city to let the company pick up the trash. BFI, which last year posted $6billion in revenues, has paid for a telephone polling campaign, an accountant's report, news releases and advertisements in The Roanoke Times that argue the city could save $3million by getting out of the garbage business and spend the savings on school air conditioning, computers or more teachers.
BFI representatives also have met frequently and in private with council members, urging them to at least consider their idea by inviting nonbinding proposals from private haulers.
Five members of the new council that took office July 1 want to at least explore the possibility and have urged Herbert to put off the huge investment the city would make buying new trucks and large flip-top containers, Councilman Jim Trout said.
Trout identified the five as himself, Mayor David Bowers, and Councilmen Nelson Harris, William White and Carroll Swain. Councilman Jack Parrott and Vice-Mayor Linda Wyatt want to keep the service within the city.
Herbert informed the council in an Aug. 6 letter that the $1.2million appropriation for the first phase of automated residential collection would be pulled off the agenda.
"Herbert has changed," Swain said, "and I think it's good. Because we want to do things right for the people. And the only way you can do things right properly is to evaluate all the options properly - particularly when it comes to removing trash."
"I think it's a positive step on the city's part," said Michael Mee, a BFI marketer. "We're very happy with Mr. Herbert's recommendation. The beauty of the request for proposals is that it provides policy-makers with all the information and relevant numbers with which to base their decision on, but it doesn't obligate them to do anything."
In the letter to council, however, Herbert held out the possibility of a third option that might represent even more savings to city taxpayers: consolidating city residential trash service with the county.
A city-county task force has come up with a regional model and cost estimates on consolidating trash services. Herbert on Friday declined to reveal the estimated savings. But in the Aug. 6 letter, he wrote the city might save even more under that scheme than it expects to save by automation.
That plan might be even better than the other two, Bowers said Friday.
"I love the word consolidation," Bowers said. "It's my favorite word in the English language."
Consolidating service with the county would reduce the cost per house through economies of scale, said Mee, who added that BFI would be interested in bidding on that plan also.
But Herbert said he understands from public statements by members of the county Board of Supervisors that they aren't interested in going private. Supervisors Chairman Bob Johnson could not be reached for comment.
Trout, meanwhile, is proposing the city form a committee of four council members and three department heads to assess financial savings of the various options.
"This is the most important issue in this city - as far as city issues go - since consolidation, because of the potential for savings" Trout said. The committee, he said, would ensure "there will be no surprises, no confusion between members of council and the administration."
Council is expected to act on Trout's proposal Monday.
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